The Veteran's right knee arthritis is granted as secondary to his service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The Veteran's left leg radiculopathy is granted with a rating of 40 percent.
The deciding factor: The December 2020 VA examiner provided a positive etiology opinion that the Veteran's right knee disability is related to his service-connected back disability, resulting in moderate incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve for left leg radiculopathy.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Arthritis, Left Leg Radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- January 3, 2022
- Citation
- 22000122
Veterans Law Judge
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 22000122.
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 claim for a higher rating prior to August 12, 2013 was denied as his right knee disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5003.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating from April 1, 2016 was denied as he is already receiving the maximum allowable disability rating of 60 percent for total right knee replacement.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The rating for PTSD was not granted, and the claims for left foot neuropathy, right foot neuropathy, left knee arthroplasty and rheumatoid arthritis, and right knee arthritis were also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and left leg radiculopathy have been granted a 40 percent rating. However, his right leg radiculopathy and left leg radiculopathy are remanded for further review.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee disability is found to have resulted from his active service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.
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