The Board granted restoration of the 40 percent disability rating for the service-connected left total knee arthroplasty, which was improperly reduced to 30 percent disabling effective August 1, 2021. The Board denied a compensable rating for the service-connected scar status post left knee replacement.
The deciding factor: The reduction in the disability rating assigned for the service-connected left total knee arthroplasty from 40 percent to 30 percent was improper and void ab initio, as the AOJ did not address whether there was actual improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under the ordinary conditions of life and work. The criteria for a compensable rating for the service-connected scar status post left knee replacement were not met.
- Claimed conditions
- Left total knee arthroplasty, Scar status post left knee replacement
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- May 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25040394
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 785 · Granted: 47% (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 A25040394.
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's appeal regarding the evaluation rating of his left total knee arthroplasty was dismissed due to a procedural defect in submitting both a Notice of Disagreement and a Supplemental Claim concurrently.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development, specifically to obtain relevant VA treatment records stored in VistA Imaging that are not currently associated with the claims file.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU related to his bilateral knee disabilities are being remanded due to procedural issues. The AOJ must issue a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) and review the issues on appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that additional development is needed to ensure all relevant records are associated with the claims file and for a retrospective medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cervical spine disability. The appeal will be remanded for these purposes.
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