The Veteran's lumbar spine condition is rated at 10 percent prior to August 1, 2023 and at 20 percent from that date. The left ankle fracture and dislocation are currently rated at 20 percent. The left hip strain with arthritis and right hip strain with arthritis remain rated at 20 percent each. The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis with knee instability is rated at 10 percent prior to August 1, 2023 and remains rated at 40 percent from that date.,The Board has remanded the cases of left hip strain with arthritis and right hip strain with arthritis for additional examination. The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis with knee instability is also being remanded.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a higher rating for any of the conditions due to lack of sufficient range of motion data, conflicting diagnoses between examinations, or other relevant factors.
- Claimed conditions
- Lumbar strain with arthritis, Left ankle fracture and dislocation, Left hip strain with arthritis, Right hip strain with arthritis, Left knee osteoarthritis with knee instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2024
- Citation
- 24010995
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 24010995.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, along with other disabilities, has rendered him unemployable in a non-protected work environment. He is granted TDIU and SMC.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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