The Board granted an initial evaluation of 20 percent, but not in excess thereof, prior to April 9, 2012 for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and denied evaluations in excess of 20 percent from that date. The claims for increased ratings for left and right knee osteoarthritis were also denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar spine disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, while his knee disabilities did not show sufficient limitation to warrant an initial compensable evaluation or a higher rating based on limitation of flexion or extension.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, Left knee osteoarthritis, Right knee osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2025
- Citation
- 25013644
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 926 · 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 25013644.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine was granted with effective dates of May 13, 2019.
- Granted
The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was diagnosed during service and has continued since then. The Board granted service connection for this condition based on continuity of symptomatology.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, is related to service and granted service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate examinations and the need for a retrospective opinion regarding the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability.
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