The Board granted restoration of a 40 percent rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability effective October 1, 2022, and denied ratings in excess of 20 percent prior to July 15, 2019, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter. The issues related to right knee instability and other claims were remanded.
The deciding factor: The reduction of the rating for lumbar spine disability from 40 percent to 20 percent was improper due to a lack of sustained and material improvement that was reasonably certain to be maintained under ordinary conditions of life and work.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative joint disease (DJD) and spondylosis of the thoracolumbar spine (lumbar spine disability), Right knee instability, DJD of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2025
- Citation
- A25021928
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 868 · Granted: 42% (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 A25021928.
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 right knee disability, including limitation of extension and flexion, instability, and meniscus condition, is now rated at 20 percent effective March 7, 2020.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee disability, including limitation of extension and flexion, instability, and meniscus condition, is now rated at 20 percent effective March 7, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various joint and back disabilities due to a lack of VA examinations, which were required by the Veterans Court. The Veteran's assertions include injuries from falls during service and wear and tear from his job as a bridge crewmember.
- Granted
The Board has granted effective dates of June 17, 2010 for service connection and separate ratings for right knee instability and left knee instability.
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