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Denied

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings have been denied.,Effective July 14, 2012, the Veteran was granted service connection for erectile dysfunction, reflux esophagitis, lumbar spine disability with bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, right foot plantar fasciitis, limitation of right knee flexion, limitation of right knee extension, and right knee scars. The effective dates for these conditions have not been changed.

The deciding factor: The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is not shown to have caused a penile deformity either interiorly or exteriorly.,The Veteran’s reflux esophagitis does not result in considerable impairment of health.,Ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine is not shown; and the Veteran is not prescribed bed rest to treat his lumbar spine disability.,The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is most appropriately characterized as mild incomplete paralysis; moderate incomplete paralysis is not shown.,The Veteran’s right lower extremity radiculopathy is most appropriately characterized as mild incomplete paralysis; moderate incomplete paralysis is not shown.,The Veteran’s right foot plantar fasciitis results in pain; moderately severe symptoms are not shown.,The Veteran's right knee disability does not meet the criteria for ankylosis, recurrent subluxation or lateral instability, dislocated or removed symptomatic semilunar cartilage, flexion functionally limited to 30 degrees or less, extension functionally limited to 15 degrees or more, impairment of the tibia and fibula, or genu recurvatum.,The Veteran’s right knee scars are not deep, do not result in limited motion, are not unstable or painful, and do not cover an area exceeding 144 square inches.

Claimed conditions
erectile dysfunction, reflux esophagitis, lumbar spine disability with bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, right foot plantar fasciitis, limitation of right knee flexion, limitation of right knee extension, right knee scars
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
August 1, 2019
Citation
19159913

Veterans Law Judge

THOMAS H. O'SHAY

Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · 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 19159913.

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