The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities and lumbar spine disability, but granted a 20 percent rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis from April 4, 2017 to July 13, 2020.
The deciding factor: The instability in the Veteran's knees did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under DC 5257, and the limitation of flexion was consistently no worse than 90 degrees. However, the degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis manifested in muscle spasm severe enough to result in abnormal spinal contour.
- Claimed conditions
- osteoarthritis of the right knee, osteоarthritis of the left knee, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2025
- Citation
- 25013395
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,135 · Granted: 33% (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 25013395.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the rating reductions for lateral instability of the right knee and osteoarthritis of the right knee, so these issues are dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for various conditions and a higher disability rating for chronic scalp folliculitis. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional medical records and conduct further examinations as needed.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, osteoarthritis of the left knee, and osteoarthritis of the right knee as there was no credible evidence to support an in-service incurrence or aggravation of any of these conditions.
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