The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's knee and back disabilities prior to certain dates but granted a maximum schedular rating of 60 percent for right and left knee replacements from March 1, 2017, and July 1, 2020, respectively.
The deciding factor: The Board found that higher ratings were warranted following total replacement surgeries due to chronic residuals consistent of severe painful motion or weakness in the affected extremities.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Disability (internal derangement of right knee, status post anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear with arthroscopic surgical repair), Left Knee Disability (left knee strain), Low Back Disability (degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS)), Left Lower Extremity Disability (left lower extremity radiculopathy), Right Shoulder Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2024
- Citation
- 24003216
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70% rating for PTSD from November 25, 2015 to August 12, 2024 and a 40% rating for the right shoulder disability. It also granted 10% ratings for both feet and 20% ratings for knee patellofemoral pain syndromes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The character of the appellant's uncharacterized discharge is not a bar to the receipt of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits; to this extent only, the claim is granted.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including PTSD, IBS, cardiac arrhythmia, CFS, chronic headaches, chronic sinusitis, dyspnea, and fibromyalgia. The claim for bilateral pes planus was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and to ensure compliance with VA's duty to assist.
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