The Veteran's right knee disability and bilateral foot disabilities have been granted, with effective dates set at July 22, 2011. However, his request for higher ratings or earlier effective dates has been denied.
The deciding factor: The effective date of the service connection grants is set at the earliest allowable date due to lack of prior claims, and a separate rating for instability was granted but not for more severe levels as it would violate the amputation rule. The Veteran's request for higher ratings or earlier effective dates were denied.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Foot Arthritis, Right Foot Hallux Valgus, Right Knee Disability (Total Knee Replacement)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19161060
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,934 · Granted: 41% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19161060.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted an initial disability rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's service-connected right and left feet conditions, which include arthritis, hallux valgus (bunions), and calluses. The ratings are effective from December 18, 2008.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals because the appeal requests were not timely filed, and good cause was not shown for the late filing.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities, finding that they do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and an earlier effective date was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating or an earlier effective date.
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