Your initial rating for lumbar spine condition has been increased to 40 percent effective October 29, 2014. Your right ankle, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee conditions have each received a 10 percent initial rating effective October 29, 2014.,Your residuals of traumatic brain injury have also been rated as 10 percent disabling effective October 29, 2014.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar spine condition has resulted in forward flexion limited to 30 degrees with no evidence of ankylosis and incapacitating episodes having a total duration of at least four weeks during a year. The right ankle, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee conditions have each been rated as moderate limitation of motion.
- Claimed conditions
- Cyst on upper gum, Left knee condition, Left shoulder condition, Lumbar spine condition, Residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI), Right ankle condition, Right knee condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- February 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19113845
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,287 · Granted: 23% (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 19113845.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee condition as secondary to his service-connected right ankle condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for cervical spine condition and left shoulder condition due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as VA failed to provide the Veteran with VA examinations and medical opinions to assess the nature and etiology of his conditions.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for higher disability ratings in excess of 20 percent for cervical spine and lumbar spine conditions, left knee condition, right knee condition, and sinusitis. The Veteran was granted service connection for chronic laryngeal papillomatosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to readjudicate the claim of entitlement to service connection for right knee condition. The AOJ is therefore remanding this case.
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