The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings under applicable VA rating criteria.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support findings of more than the minimum compensable range of motion or instability in any of the Veteran’s service-connected conditions, and therefore, no higher ratings are warranted.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Degenerative Joint Disease with Chondromalacia, Right Lower Extremity Radiculopathy, Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy, Right Shoulder Bursitis with Impingement, Spine Disability (Degenerative Arthritis of the Spine with IVDS and Lumbosacral Strain)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 8, 2021
- Citation
- 21007144
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 21007144.
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 claims for higher ratings for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his condition, without considering the ameliorative effects of any medication he uses.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy has been granted a 30 percent disability rating since November 29, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is likely due to his service-connected lumbar spine and radiculopathy conditions, with tramadol use possibly causing the condition by October 25, 2012. The effective date for ED will be remanded.,Due to the inextricably intertwined nature of the issues, including the need to determine if tramadol caused ED prior to August 30, 2013, the SMC issue is also remanded.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise, and therefore grants service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as secondary to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other service-connected conditions such as lumbar disc disease, right lower extremity radiculopathy, obstructive lung disease, and gastroesophageal reflux.
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