The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent her from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: VA examiners' opinions indicate that the Veteran may have difficulty performing heavy lifting and prolonged standing due to her bilateral foot pain, bilateral achilles tendon pain, and left knee disability. The October 2016 VA examiners concluded she might not be able to sit for prolonged periods without getting up to walk around due to her left knee disability and bilateral achilles tendonitis.
- Claimed conditions
- Low Back, Left Knee Degenerative Arthritis, Right Plantar Fasciitis, Left Plantar Fasciitis, Left Achilles Tendonitis, Degenerative Disc Disease Lumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- March 14, 2022
- Citation
- 22014492
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 22014492.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted earlier effective dates for service connection of peripheral vestibular disorder with dizziness/vertigo, depressive disorder, left knee degenerative arthritis, and right knee degenerative arthritis all from July 4, 2023.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's disability ratings for right and left knee degenerative arthritis from 10 percent to 10 percent effective January 8, 2025.
- Granted
The Veteran's residuals of right knee total replacement have been granted a maximum schedular rating of 60 percent effective June 1, 2020. The Veteran's left knee degenerative arthritis has also been granted an increased rating to 60 percent effective June 1, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has restored the prior ratings for right and left knee degenerative arthritis, but has remanded the issues of increased ratings due to an inadequate VA examination.
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