The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, specifically the left and right meniscus tears, have been rated at 20 percent each since September 13, 2011. The ratings are based on their direct service connection without any presumption or secondary linkage to a previously service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, including the left and right meniscus tears, have been rated at 20 percent each since September 13, 2011, as they are directly linked to his military service without any need for secondary or presumptive service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee Meniscus Tear, Right Knee Meniscus Tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161423
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (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 19161423.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The right knee conditions, including meniscus tear and instability, are not rated higher than the current assigned disability ratings.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims and granted service connection for a left knee disability and low back disability, both found to be proximately due to his service-connected right knee disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee degenerative joint disease and entitlement to a compensable rating for right knee meniscus tear due to inadequate VA examinations.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his right shoulder dislocation post avulsion fracture associated with right knee meniscus and ACL tear repair prior to August 31, 2023 is denied.,The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent for his right shoulder dislocation post avulsion fracture associated with right knee meniscus and ACL tear repair from August 31, 2023 onward is denied.
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