The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The decision is based on a finding that these conditions are related to in-service injuries.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current disabilities were found to be related to his in-service activities, including carrying heavy equipment and running over several years.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine (low back disability), Degenerative arthritis and meniscal tear, left knee (left knee disability), Degenerative arthritis, right knee (right knee disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19110024
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (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 19110024.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset and relationship of his low back disability and cervical spine disability to his military service. The Veteran is asked to provide additional medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to an earlier effective date and higher initial ratings for service-connected low back disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for an addendum opinion to assess the severity of the Veteran's back disability, expressed in terms of range of motion and functional impairment during flare-ups.
- Denied
The Veteran's low back disability has not been manifested by unfavorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine or unfavorable ankylosis of the entire spine, and there have not been incapacitating episodes of intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) requiring bed rest prescribed by a physician and treatment by a physician having a total duration of at least six weeks during the 12-month period. As such, the Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for his low back disability has been denied.
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