The Board granted an effective date of August 16, 2011, for the award of a 20 percent rating for low back disability and service connection for right and left knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: The increase in the low back disability actually occurred prior to the August 16, 2011, effective date for the award of service connection; therefore, the 20 percent rating is warranted for the entire period on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- L3-L5 disc degeneration with posterior bulge and protrusion, degenerative arthritis of the spine (low back disability), right knee patellofemoral syndrome, left knee patellofemoral syndrome
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 25, 2025
- Citation
- A25054792
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a higher rating in excess of the current ratings for various musculoskeletal conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for further development and readjudication of the veteran's claims.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, except for separate awards of service connection for left knee instability and right knee instability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for service connection for right and left knee patellofemoral syndrome, finding that the evidence did not support a rating higher than 10 percent or an earlier effective date.
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