The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent effective from April 7, 2017. The right and left knee disabilities are each rated at 20 percent effective from January 23, 2012 to August 3, 2016.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar spine disability manifested with flexion of 18 degrees, which meets the criteria for a 40 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine (for Diagnostic Codes 5235 to 5242).
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Chondromalacia of the left knee, Lateral instability of the right knee, Lateral instability of the left knee, Right knee degenerative arthritis, Left knee degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- August 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20055500
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 20055500.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right ankle degenerative arthritis, and left ankle degenerative arthritis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and right knee degenerative arthritis, as well as his claim for a higher rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The appeal is not about service connection at all.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was diagnosed during service and has continued since then. The Board granted service connection for this condition based on continuity of symptomatology.
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