The appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for right hip disability is dismissed. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as major depressive disorder, is granted. The appeals for ratings in excess of 10 percent for left knee degenerative joint disease with painful motion and limitation of extension are denied. The appeal for a rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbar spine disability prior to August 16, 2019 is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his claim for a higher rating for right hip disability at his Board hearing. Service connection was granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder secondary to service-connected orthopedic disabilities. The left knee and lumbar spine conditions did not meet the criteria for increased ratings as they were found to be limited by pain without additional functional loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Right hip disability, Left knee degenerative joint disease, Left knee painful motion, Left knee limitation of extension, Lumbar spine disability
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2022
- Citation
- 22015670
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 22015670.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
Your appeal of the March 28, 2025 rating decision that deferred adjudication of your right hip disability claim has been dismissed.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and lumbar spine disability, as well as left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, were denied. The effective dates for these conditions are also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spine and right hip disabilities due to a duty to assist error. The effective date for DEA benefits is granted as May 1, 2014.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was denied because the disability is not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period; continuity of symptomatology is not established; and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability was denied because the disability was not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period; continuity of symptomatology is not established; and the disability is not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) was denied because there is no evidence of loss of consciousness or memory impairment following the motor vehicle accident during service, and post-service VA treatment records do not show a diagnosis of TBI.
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