The Board has granted service connection for lower back, right knee, and left knee disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (major depressive disorder) is also granted on a direct basis.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports that the Veteran’s current lower back, right knee, and left knee disabilities are related to his service-connected bilateral pes planus, while his major depressive disorder is linked to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain (lower back disability), right knee strain (right knee disability), left knee strain (left knee disability), acquired psychiatric disorder (major depressive disorder)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- December 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20080782
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,011 · 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 20080782.
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 tinnitus and major depressive disorder were found to have onset during his active-duty service. The appeal for a disability rating in excess of 0 percent for other conditions was dismissed, and the appeal concerning total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's initial ratings for service-connected nonspecific headaches and tinnitus were denied, while the VA remanded several other claims.,For the left knee disability and right knee disability, the VA found that more than a certain percentage rating was warranted but remanded to clarify examination findings.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claims for right ankle, left ankle, and left knee disabilities are remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA examiner must provide an opinion regarding the onset of these conditions during active service or their relation to incidents in service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for left knee arthritis, right knee strain (right knee disability), and hypertension as the evidence did not support an in-service injury or event related to these conditions.
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