The Board granted a separate rating of 20 percent for left knee meniscal tear effective December 12, 2019, but denied an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for chondromalacia of the left knee. The claim for service connection for painful joints was remanded.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the severity of the Veteran's left knee meniscal tear and the lack of additional compensable limitation of flexion for the chondromalacia of the left knee, as well as the opinion that the painful joints are a progression of his service-connected bilateral knee conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Chondromalacia of the left knee, Left knee meniscal tear, Painful joints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 12, 2022
- Citation
- 22001516
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,762 · 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 22001516.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
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 bilateral knee disabilities with meniscal tears have been granted separate 20 percent ratings for right and left knees. The remaining issues of increased ratings are remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right knee meniscal tear and osteoarthritis, as well as left knee meniscal tear and osteoarthritis, both of which were incurred during active duty service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, as the evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities alone were of such nature and severity to preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a separate 20 percent rating for left knee chondromalacia under Diagnostic Code 5258, effective January 4, 2001.
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