The Veteran's anxiety disorder is rated at 70 percent, which exceeds the requested rating of 30 percent.,CAD is currently rated at 30 percent and does not warrant a higher rating due to the absence of congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 30 to 50 percent.,The thoracolumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, which corresponds to forward flexion limited to 60 degrees during flare-ups and after repetitive use testing. The Veteran's symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of left ventricular dysfunction or ankylosis.,Left knee chondromalacia is rated at 10 percent, which corresponds to objective evidence of painful motion without loss in range of motion on flexion. The Veteran's symptoms do not warrant a higher rating.,GERD with hiatal hernia is rated at 10 percent, which corresponds to considerable impairment of health but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The deciding factor: The severity, frequency, and duration of the Veteran’s anxiety disorder symptoms do not most closely approximate total occupational and social impairment as required for a 100% rating. The symptoms are more aligned with a 70% evaluation.,CAD does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 30 to 50 percent, and the Veteran's workload is within the range that requires continuous medication but does not exceed 7 METs.,The thoracolumbar spine disability manifests as forward flexion limited to 60 degrees during flare-ups and after repetitive use testing. This corresponds to a 20% evaluation under DC 5003, which is the highest rating available for this condition based on range of motion measurements.,Left knee chondromalacia does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to objective evidence of painful motion without loss in range of motion. The Veteran's symptoms do not warrant a higher rating as they are within the 10% evaluation range.,GERD with hiatal hernia is rated at 10 percent, which corresponds to considerable impairment of health but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

Claimed conditions

Anxiety Disorder not otherwise specified, Arteriosclerotic heart disease (CAD), Thoracolumbar spine disability, Left knee chondromalacia, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

70%

Decision date

November 13, 2020

Citation

20073091

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 20073091.