The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (other than PTSD), to include unspecified anxiety disorder, and assigned ratings of 40 percent, but no higher, for lumbar spine L5 spondylolysis without spondylolisthesis, and separate ratings of 10 percent each for left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left knee strain with effusion, right knee strain with effusion and status post anterior tibial tubercle avulsion fracture, left knee lateral instability, and right knee lateral instability.
The deciding factor: The Board granted service connection for the psychiatric disorder based on a finding that it arose during or as a result of active service. The ratings were assigned based on the severity of the lumbar spine condition and associated neurological symptoms, as well as the severity of the bilateral knee conditions and associated instability.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine L5 spondylolysis without spondylolisthesis, left knee strain with effusion, right knee strain with effusion and status post anterior tibial tubercle avulsion fracture, left knee lateral instability, right knee lateral instability, acquired psychiatric disorder (other than PTSD), to include unspecified anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25056392
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (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 A25056392.
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 has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity of the Veteran's right knee subluxation and instability during the period from January 29, 2014, to September 27, 2019. Additional development is required to obtain a retrospective opinion addressing this issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left knee disabilities due to inadequate development and lack of substantial compliance with previous remand orders.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates related to his right knee disabilities require additional development due to a lack of adequate VA examinations in relation to the period on appeal.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a separate 20 percent rating for right knee lateral instability but denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for right knee functional ankylosis.
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