The Board denied the Veteran's claims for compensable initial ratings for his right knee strain, left knee strain, and bilateral plantar fasciitis as there was no evidence of instability or subluxation in either knee joint. The Veteran's motion range of motion did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations found no instability or subluxation in the Veteran’s knees, and his motion range did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating based on limitation of flexion or extension.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Strain, Left Knee Strain, Bilateral Plantar Fasciitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194098
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,812 · Granted: 30% (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 19194098.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, memory loss/memory problems, chronic fatigue, sleep difficulties/sleep disturbances, and sleep apnea have been denied. The claim for service connection for residuals of testicular denervation and varicosectomy has been granted.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for Generalized Anxiety Disorder was dismissed due to untimely filing. The claim of service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis is remanded.
- 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.
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