The Veteran's left knee disability, specifically degenerative joint disease, has been rated at 30 percent since February 20, 2009. The Board found that the current rating adequately reflects his condition as of January 2, 2004, with total knee replacement and associated limitations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated based on its service-connected nature without any presumption or secondary linkage to another condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the Left Knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- November 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20074829
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,858 · Granted: 24% (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 20074829.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's PTSD rating is restored to 50 percent, but his other orthopedic disabilities remain in dispute and require further review.,His cervical strain, DJD of the left knee, and lumbar spine degenerative arthritis are all rated below their maximum possible ratings due to lack of evidence showing they meet or approximate the criteria for higher ratings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of her disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions in previous examinations. The issues include Type II Diabetes Mellitus, Insomnia, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the Left Knee, DJD of the Right Knee, and Hypothyroidism.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher ratings based on instability, painful motion, or degenerative arthritis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the effective date of the award of service connection for PTSD could not be earlier than September 18, 2013, when the Veteran first met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The claim for an earlier effective date was denied as without legal merit. The appeal is remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine whether the Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.
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