The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's low back disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's hypogonadism with low testosterone is currently rated at zero percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is currently rated at zero percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy is currently rated at zero percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's right foot disability is currently rated at zero percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The symptoms associated with the Veteran’s PTSD have not caused the level of impairment required for a 50% or higher disability rating under Diagnostic Code 9411.,The symptoms associated with the Veteran’s low back disability have not caused the level of impairment required for a 20% or higher disability rating under Diagnostic Codes 5237 and 5243.,The symptoms associated with the Veteran’s left knee disability have not caused the level of impairment required for a 10% or higher disability rating under Diagnostic Code 5260.,The symptoms associated with the Veteran’s right knee disability have not caused the level of impairment required for a 10% or higher disability rating under Diagnostic Code 5260.,The symptoms associated with the Veteran’s hypogonadism with low testosterone have not caused the level of impairment required for any disability rating under Diagnostic Code 7915.,The symptoms associated with the Veteran’s left lower extremity radiculopathy have not caused the level of impairment required for any disability rating under Diagnostic Code 8720.,The symptoms associated with the Veteran’s right lower extremity radiculopathy have not caused the level of impairment required for any disability rating under Diagnostic Code 8720.,The symptoms associated with the Veteran’s right foot disability have not caused the level of impairment required for any disability rating under Diagnostic Code 5283.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Low Back Disability, Left Knee Disability, Right Knee Disability, Hypogonadism with Low Testosterone, Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy, Right Lower Extremity Radiculopathy, Right Foot Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20002988
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (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 20002988.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
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