The Veteran's left total knee replacement is rated at 30 percent, which is the maximum rating available under Diagnostic Code 5055.,The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted as there is no evidence of ankylosis or incapacitating episodes during the appeal period.,Prior to February 9, 2019, the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine was rated at 10 percent. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted due to limited forward flexion and no evidence of ankylosis.
The deciding factor: The clinical evidence does not reflect severe painful motion or weakness in the left knee, which would warrant a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5055. The Veteran's range of motion was within normal limits with no additional loss on repetitive testing.,There is no ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine and the Veteran does not have incapacitating episodes during the appeal period. Therefore, a higher rating is not warranted under Diagnostic Codes 4.71a and 5237-5243.,The Veteran's cervical spine has forward flexion limited to 15 degrees, which falls within the criteria for a 10 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5242. There is no evidence of ankylosis or incapacitating episodes during the appeal period.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Total Knee Replacement, Degenerative Arthritis of the Thoracolumbar Spine, Degenerative Arthritis of the Cervical Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19192399
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 19192399.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus and dismissed the claim for service connection for right knee degenerative joint disease. The claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, headache disability, and obstructive sleep apnea were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for increased ratings and service connection due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding functional ankylosis and aggravation of obstructive sleep apnea by service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for service connection and an initial compensable evaluation, finding that the evidence did not support a diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss disability or sleep apnea related to service. The Veteran's hemorrhoids were found to be noncompensable.
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