The veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities from August 1, 2017.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since August 1, 2017.
- Claimed conditions
- flat feet with plantar fasciitis, traumatic arthritis of the left first metatarsophalangeal joint, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, sprain injury of the left ankle with chronic lateral instability and degenerative changes, left knee degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2025
- Citation
- 25001257
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 237 · Granted: 39% (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 25001257.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right knee disability, left knee arthritis, and bilateral knee instability. The decision is based on the Veteran's competent and credible lay evidence regarding the onset of symptoms in service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis is dismissed. The claims for service connection for psychiatric disability, bilateral hearing loss, and other conditions are granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis and shin splints due to insufficient rationale in the previous VA examination. The case is now pending with a request for a new opinion.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for a higher rating, compensable rating, and extension of temporary total evaluation for his lumbar spine disability have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing all claims in April 2022.
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