The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD with anxiety, low back strain with L-5 spinal stenosis, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity are denied. The claim to reopen entitlement to service connection for right and left knee disabilities is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings under the applicable rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Disability, Left Knee Disability, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with Anxiety, not otherwise specified, Low Back Strain with L-5 Spinal Stenosis, Radiculopathy of the Left Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Bilateral Upper Extremities, Heart Disability, Headaches, Erectile Dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- November 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20073731
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 32% (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 20073731.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence to support an etiological relationship between his current condition and his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of June 19, 2002.
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