The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's back disability, sciatic nerve radiculopathy, femoral nerve radiculopathy, and left knee instability while granting a 10% rating for sciatic nerve radiculopathy from January 24, 2019, to August 30, 2019, and a 20% rating for left knee disability with instability beginning on that date. The Board also granted an initial 100% rating for major depressive disorder (MDD) effective February 5, 2021.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the severity of the Veteran's symptoms and their impact on his daily functioning as documented in medical examinations and records.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome (back disability), radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), left lower extremity, radiculopathy (femoral nerve), left lower extremity, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with meniscal tear and degenerative arthritis (left knee disability) with instability, left knee dislocated semilunar cartilage, residual scars, left knee, major depressive disorder (MDD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25045360
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 32% (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 A25045360.
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 of service connection for dizziness, TBI, MDD, and anxiety disorder is granted as new evidence has been received. The claims are remanded to obtain VA examinations.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is related to her military service, and the Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for earlier effective dates for service connection and TDIU was granted, with the effective date set at September 27, 2018.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD with MDD and middle insomnia are granted as service-connected. The left ankle, lumbar spine, and right ankle disabilities are also granted as service-connected. However, the Veteran's migraines, bilateral shins (tibialis posterior tendinitis), stomach pain, nausea, queasiness, and bilateral foot disabilities remain denied.
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