The Board has granted readjudication of the claims for right ankle disability, right knee disability, and back disability due to new evidence received after a September 2024 rating decision. Service connection is now granted for right ankle arthritis and total ankle joint replacement, right knee strain, meniscal tear, anterior cruciate ligament tear, osteoarthritis, and total knee arthroplasty, as well as degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome of the thoracolumbar spine secondary to these conditions. The Board also granted service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to the back disability.
The deciding factor: The new evidence received after the September 2024 rating decision supports a finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service, including continuous symptoms since service and medical opinions linking these conditions to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ankle arthritis and total ankle joint replacement, Right knee strain, meniscal tear, anterior cruciate ligament tear, osteoarthritis, and total knee arthroplasty, Degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome of the thoracolumbar spine, Right lower extremity radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 27, 2026
- Citation
- A26007710
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 A26007710.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy was evaluated at a 20 percent rating, and the Board found that it did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the claims for psychiatric disability and sleep apnea.,Service connection was granted for right lower extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to a service-connected back disability, but denied for right wrist disability.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for degenerative disc disease prior to August 1, 2025 was denied as the evidence did not show unfavorable ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.,The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy prior to March 10, 2025 were denied as there is no neurological impairment associated with these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and lumbar spine disability, as well as left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, were denied. The effective dates for these conditions are also denied.
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