The Veteran's appeal for restoration of a 10 percent rating for left knee chondromalacia and right knee chondromalacia from September 1, 2012 is denied. A 20 percent rating for left carpal tunnel syndrome is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed improvement in the Veteran's bilateral knee disability that reflected an improvement in his ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee chondromalacia, right knee chondromalacia, left carpal tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19100490
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,911 · Granted: 10% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19100490.
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 cases due to a duty to assist error, requiring new VA examinations for the appellant's left carpal tunnel syndrome and left wrist osteoarthritis.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates and compensable ratings for left knee tendonitis and right knee chondromalacia have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal in January 2025.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal as it found that the benefits originally sought have been granted in full, and thus there is no longer a specific error of fact or law to address.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and has remanded the claims for hypertension, left knee disability, and right knee disability due to duty to assist errors.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.