The Veteran's claims for right knee strain, left leg radiculopathy, and degenerative disc disease lumbar spine status post four back surgeries have been granted. The claim for right leg radiculopathy is being remanded.,Service connection has been granted for the Veteran’s degenerative disc disease lumbar spine, status post four back surgeries and left leg radiculopathy as secondary to his service-connected back disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence received since the March 2009 rating decision raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the underlying claims for service connection.,The Veteran’s degenerative disc disease lumbar spine, status post four back surgeries was aggravated by his second period of active duty service. The left leg radiculopathy is secondary to the now-service connected degenerative disc disease lumbar spine, status post four back surgeries.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Strain, Left Leg Radiculopathy, Degenerative Disc Disease Lumbar Spine, Status Post Four Back Surgeries
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19183100
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,429 · Granted: 29% (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 19183100.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's right and left knee strains, as well as shin splints, were granted increased ratings. The Veteran also received special monthly compensation at the housebound rate from October 25, 2017 to March 11, 2024.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's right knee disability rating from 10% to 30%, effective July 1, 2025, finding that the reduction was improper and constituted a de facto severance of service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for left ankle, bilateral knee, and left hip disability. The Veteran's initial 10 percent rating for left thigh strain with limitation of flexion is granted.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased disability evaluations and denied service connection for a bilateral shoulder condition. The Veteran was granted service connection for persistent depressive disorder.
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