The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a left knee disability was granted. His major depressive disorder rating prior to November 17, 2016, is maintained at 10 percent; however, the rating after that date is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence submitted by the Veteran raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claim for service connection for a left knee disability and supported a nexus between his left knee disability and his service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability. For major depressive disorder, the evidence showed occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee Disability, Major Depressive Disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- July 2, 2018
- Citation
- 18115673
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 18115673.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of June 19, 2002.
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