The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his lumbar spine and right knee conditions has been denied.,For the period prior to December 7, 2016, the Veteran is already receiving a 10 percent rating. For the period from December 7, 2016 through December 20, 2019, he is rated at 20 percent. From December 20, 2019 to present, his condition warrants no more than a 40 percent rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support the assignment of higher ratings for either lumbar spine or right knee conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with chronic lumbar strain, lower back spasm and IVDS, right knee degenerative joint disease with instability and shin splints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20068305
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,188 · Granted: 23% (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 20068305.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine and right knee disabilities have been remanded due to the need for clarification of the severity of his conditions throughout the appeal period.,The Veteran's right knee instability has also been remanded, as there is a need for clarification regarding the impact of medication on his range of motion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine and right knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the severity of these conditions.,The Veteran seeks higher disability ratings for his lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with chronic lumbar strain, lower back spasm, and IVDS. The Board has requested an addendum opinion from a VA examiner to estimate the Veteran's range of motion during repeated use over time and during flare-ups.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various knee and back conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding functional loss during flare-ups or with repeated use over time.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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