The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his left knee disability is granted, with a 40 percent rating from July 23, 2019 and a 20 percent rating from December 1, 2009 to July 22, 2019.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 40 percent is denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations conducted throughout the period on appeal consistently reflected that the Veteran’s left knee disability was characterized by painful and limited motion, instability, and multiple loose bodies. The most recent examination provided sufficient evidence to support a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- ACL tear, Degenerative arthritis of the left knee, Multiple loose bodies in the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- January 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20005414
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.
- Denied
The Board denied higher ratings for the Veteran's knee and cervical spine disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees, but remanded the issue of a low back disability for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and clarification regarding the severity of the Veteran's left knee and right knee disabilities, specifically to determine if the Veteran has experienced 'the functional equivalent of range of motion loss contemplated by the next higher rating' at any point during the appeal period.
- Partly granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of October 21, 2019, for a disability rating of 30 percent for left knee meniscal tear, ACL tear, and osteoarthritis status post left total knee replacement.
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