The Veteran's increased ratings for bilateral knees and lumbar spine conditions were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase in disability severity within one year of his claim, and he was not granted a TDIU.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations showed no clinically significant changes warranting increased ratings, and the Veteran's symptoms did not meet criteria for higher ratings under relevant diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the left knee, Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis of the right knee, Symptomatic Right Meniscal Tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 8, 2021
- Citation
- 21007063
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 21007063.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied an increased disability rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee DJD from October 1, 2008 to August 30, 2010 due to the lack of evidence showing limitation of flexion or extension that would warrant a higher rating.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 30 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected DJD of the left knee and left knee lateral instability, from December 15, 2009, to September 5, 2014.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter to obtain a new VA medical opinion regarding the severity of the left knee DJD without the ameliorative effects of medication during the limited appeal period.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for DJD and instability of both knees but granted separate 20 percent ratings for dislocated semilunar cartilage in the left and right knees.
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