Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or service connection for the claimed conditions.

The deciding factor: The Veteran's knee disabilities were found to be characterized by symptoms such as pain, instability, and limited extension, but these symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes. The claims for service connection for additional conditions were remanded for further development.

Claimed conditions
right knee arthritis, left knee arthritis status post meniscus repair, right knee instability residual associated with right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee instability residual associated with left knee degenerative arthritis status post meniscus repair, right knee limitation of extension residual associated with right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee limitation of extension associated with left knee degenerative arthritis status post meniscus repair, right ankle calcaneal bone spurs (right ankle disability), left achilles scraping and plantaris tendon removal to include calcaneal bone spurs (left achilles disability), random skin rashes (skin rashes), bruxism, to include as secondary to service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
December 23, 2025
Citation
A25110388

Veterans Law Judge

Timothy Cothrel

Decisions by this judge: 696 · Granted: 63% (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 A25110388.

What this means for you

A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.

What you can do next

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.