The Board has granted service connection for right knee and lumbar spine disorders, finding that they are aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s left knee instability contributed significantly to putting him into harm's way during a tractor accident in July 2012, which aggravated his right knee and back disorders beyond their natural progression.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19186837
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 19186837.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the award of service connection and denied increased ratings for various disabilities, but granted a separate rating for left upper extremity radiculopathy from October 20, 2020.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, bilateral achilles tendonitis, gout, diabetes mellitus, type 2 (DMII), obstructive sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety and depression. The Board denied increased ratings for right and left knee degenerative joint disease, separate ratings for instability of the knees, a separate rating for residuals of a right knee meniscectomy, and service connection for bilateral leg pain, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic sinus disability, respiratory disability due to exposure to asbestos, heart murmur, irregular heartbeat, and seizures.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for right knee subluxation and degenerative joint disease due to an inadequate addendum opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities and SMC based on loss of use of the bilateral lower extremities.
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