The Board is unable to determine the exact cause of the Veteran's service-connected heart disorder, but it has permanently progressed at an abnormally high rate due to his major depressive disorder and lumbar strain with arthritis. The right shoulder disorder, left knee meniscal tear, osteoarthritis of the right knee, bilateral venous insufficiency, and bilateral foot disorder are all found to be related to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Board is unable to determine the exact cause of the Veteran's service-connected heart disorder, but it has permanently progressed at an abnormally high rate due to his major depressive disorder and lumbar strain with arthritis. The right shoulder disorder, left knee meniscal tear, osteoarthritis of the right knee, bilateral venous insufficiency, and bilateral foot disorder are all found to be related to service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder disorder (shoulder strain, shoulder impingement syndrome, and subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis), left knee meniscal tear, osteoarthritis of the right knee (bilateral knee strain, right knee meniscal tear, bilateral patellofemoral pain syndrome, and right degenerative arthritis), heart disorder (coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy, and hypertensive heart disease), bilateral venous insufficiency, bilateral foot disorder (pes planus, metatarsalgia, and plantar fasciitis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2018
- Citation
- 1803136
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1803136.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted a 100 percent rating for valvular heart disease based on MET testing showing that at a workload of 3 METs or less, the condition results in fatigue and breathlessness.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee meniscal tear with degenerative arthritis and granted a separate 20 percent rating for right knee instability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain, left knee strain, and meniscal tear, as well as a compensable rating for a left knee scar, to obtain new examinations that adequately address the Veteran's reported symptoms.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a higher rating for right knee strain to ensure that the estimated range of motion provided for repeated use over time and during flare-ups is sufficient for rating purposes.
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