The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee osteoarthritis and meniscus tear, left knee instability, and lumbar spine osteoarthritis before June 25, 2020 are denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of symptoms or functional impairment.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence showed that the Veteran's left knee conditions were manifested by painful motion and instability without ankylosis, which prevented a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee osteoarthritis and meniscus tear, lumbar spine osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20073241
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (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 20073241.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and TDIU is remanded due to the need for additional development of the record, including a thorough examination of his lumbar spine disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disability, including lumbar spine osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis L3 - L5, and grade 1 L4 on L5 spondylolisthesis. The decision is based on continuity of symptomatology since service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a higher initial disability rating for his service-connected lumbar spine osteoarthritis is being remanded due to the failure to obtain relevant Social Security Administration (SSA) records prior to the July 2020 rating decision.
- Granted
The Veteran's lumbar spine osteoarthritis and scoliosis have been granted a rating of 40 percent effective as of June 16, 2010.
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