The Veteran's right ankle osteoarthritis is granted service connection. The issues regarding her left hip and left knee conditions are remanded for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide a clear opinion with adequate rationale as to the etiology of the Veteran’s left hip condition, which was caused by or aggravated by her service-connected knee and foot disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ankle osteoarthritis, Left hip condition, Left knee osteoarthritis and status post total left knee arthroplasty
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20068798
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,249 · Granted: 37% (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 20068798.
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 Veteran's claim for a higher rating for right knee instability is granted, with a 30 percent rating. The claims for increased ratings for right knee osteoarthritis (flexion) and left hip strain, osteoarthritis and bursitis based on painful motion are denied. The claim for an increased rating for right ankle osteoarthritis is also denied.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for right knee degenerative arthritis based on limitation of motion was denied. A separate 20 percent rating for a right knee meniscus tear is granted. The claims for service connection for left hip condition and right foot gout are dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for back and left hip conditions due to inadequate opinions regarding secondary service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of his right thigh condition, as well as service connection for hip conditions.
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