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Knee conditions are rated on range of motion, instability, and arthritis. Many appeals are remanded for a current examination, so a denial is often not the end of the road.
VA rating schedule, diagnostic code 5260/5261
The VA treats knee problems as a musculoskeletal condition and rates them under the "Knee and Leg" part of its rating schedule, 38 CFR 4.71a. To be service-connected, the VA generally looks for a current diagnosis, something in service that caused or aggravated it, and a link between the two. Knee arthritis gets a special break: it is on the VA's list of "chronic diseases" in 38 CFR 3.309(a). Under 38 CFR 3.307, if that arthritis shows up to a compensable (10% or more) degree within one year of leaving service, the VA can presume it is service-connected without you proving the link.
The knee has several diagnostic codes, and the VA uses whichever best fits your records: 5256 (ankylosis, a frozen joint), 5257 (instability or the kneecap giving way), 5258/5259 (cartilage problems), 5260 (limited bending/flexion), 5261 (limited straightening/extension), and 5262 (lower-leg bone problems). Bigger losses of motion drive a higher percentage. Under DC 5260 (flexion), flexion limited to 45° is 10%, 30° is 20%, and 15° is 30%. Under DC 5261 (extension), extension limited to 10° is 10% — the lowest compensable step — then 15° is 20%, 20° is 30%, 30° is 40%, and 45° is 50%; note that extension limited to only 5° is rated 0% (noncompensable) under DC 5261. Two other rules matter: under 38 CFR 4.59, a joint that is actually painful, unstable, or malaligned is meant to get at least the minimum compensable rating for that joint, and under DC 5003 (degenerative arthritis), when the loss of motion is noncompensable, a 10% rating can still apply for the affected joint.
For exposure-based shortcuts, the knee itself is not on the Agent Orange, burn pit, Camp Lejeune, or PACT Act presumptive lists, which mainly cover certain cancers and illnesses rather than joint injuries. The main "no-nexus-needed" pathway for the knee is the chronic-disease arthritis presumption above. If a claim is denied, that is a starting point, not the end — the VA has review and appeal options. This is educational information only and is not legal advice or a VA decision about your claim.
Grounded in federal regulations and VA guidance, independently reviewed June 2026. Educational information, not legal advice or a VA determination.
Across 144,625 real Board appeals for Knee
A denial is often not the end either — remands (shown below) are sent back for more development and can still end in a grant. These are historical outcomes, not a prediction of your case.
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Among the appeals that were granted or partly granted, the most common ways Knee was linked to service:
In appeals where Knee was the only condition decided and the Board granted it, the rating most often assigned was:
These appeals involved a recognized exposure — which can mean the link to service is presumed, with no nexus to prove:
The Veteran's claims for service connection for patellofemoral pain syndrome, left knee; right knee strain with instability (limitation of flexion); and right knee strain with instability (impairment of the knee) have been granted effective December 30, 2022.
The Board has granted the Veteran's request to readjudicate his claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and obstructive sleep apnea, but denied his claim for right knee disorder. The Board also remanded the cases of left leg disorder and lumbar spine disorder.
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been granted. The initial rating of 10 percent, but not higher, has been assigned for pulmonary sarcoidosis. Service connection has also been established for migraine headaches, degenerative arthritis in the left knee, right knee disorder (osteoarthritis), right ankle sprain, right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, bilateral flat feet, and various foot conditions.
The Veteran's chronic headaches are granted as secondary to his service-connected allergic rhinitis. The left and right knee disabilities, sinusitis, tinea pedis, and sleep apnea are denied.
The Board has granted service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy and denied the claims for right knee disability, erectile dysfunction, GERD, sleep apnea, and hypertension. The decision is remanded for further action on these issues.
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, right knee meniscal tear, and IBS, have rendered him unable to secure or follow any substantially gainful employment from May 1, 2020 to May 1, 2021. The Board finds that the evidence is in balance, with all reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.
Jump to the decisions from a specific year.
New decisions are added every week, and older years are actively being backfilled — a year that looks thin or missing here (especially 2011–2017) is a gap in our library, not in the Board’s decisions.
Veterans appealing Knee often look at outcomes for these too:
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