The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for ACL reconstruction of the right knee and mechanical back syndrome, finding that there was no evidence of moderate or severe recurrent subluxation or lateral instability for the ACL reconstruction claim. The mechanical back syndrome claim did not involve service connection issues.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners found no objective medical evidence of moderate or severe recurrent subluxation or lateral instability in the right knee, and thus denied the Veteran's claims based on lack of support from medical records.
- Claimed conditions
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction of the right knee, Mechanical back syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 14, 2018
- Citation
- 1810136
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 1810136.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection for a back condition and aggravation of pre-existing scoliosis/kyphosis by in-service thoracic muscle strain and chronic low back pain. The Veteran's conditions include DDD, lumbosacral sprain/strain, mechanical back syndrome, facet joint arthropathy, IVDS, foraminal lateral recess central stenosis, and radiculopathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and a need for an addendum opinion regarding service connection for back conditions, including aggravation of congenital scoliosis/kyphosis.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar spine disability resulted in muscle spasm severe enough to cause abnormal gait, but flexion was greater than 30 degrees. The Board granted a 20 percent rating for mechanical back syndrome.
- Granted
The Veteran's cervical spine disability is granted at a rating of 30 percent effective July 12, 2021.
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