Knee decisions — 2025

The Board granted service connection for left and right knee disabilities, finding that they were aggravated by active service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic fatigue syndrome, as there was no evidence of a current disability meeting the regulatory threshold for VA purposes. The claims for lumbosacral strain, left hip strain, right hip strain, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome were remanded.

The appeal was dismissed for procedural defects under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) appellate review system.

The Veteran's earlier effective date for service-connected migraine headaches was granted to September 15, 2021. The Board denied a higher rating for migraines and knee limitations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations for right and left knee retropatellar pain syndrome with osteoarthritis and chondromalacia, as the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board remands the claims for a scar status post vasectomy, right knee injury resulting in total replacement, and left shoulder injury due to inadequate medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board denied various claims for increased ratings and effective dates, including those related to knee conditions, instability, nephrolithiasis, PTSD, and TDIU.

The Board granted the direct payment of attorney fees for service connection and increased evaluation of OSA with asthma, but denied it for other conditions.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings and earlier effective dates for the service-connected right knee disabilities due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee condition, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Board granted service connection for a left knee scar and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right great toe ingrown toenail, left forearm scar, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), left shoulder disability, and epistaxis. The remaining issues were remanded.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a right knee disability and a cervical spine disability to correct duty to assist errors that occurred prior to the March 2021 AOJ rating decision.

The Veteran was granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD prior to October 11, 2018, but denied higher ratings for his knee and spine conditions.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disorders, including knee and lumbar spine conditions, due to inadequate medical opinions that fail to adequately separate out symptoms related to service-connected disabilities from nonservice-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right ear hearing loss, right knee disorder, tinnitus, and others, as the evidence did not support a finding of chronicity or etiology related to military service.

The Board remands the claims for further development and to correct pre-decisional errors in the duty to assist.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the Veteran's right knee condition and his military service or any service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, left ankle strain, right ankle strain, left shoulder strain, and cervical strain, all related to excessive strain placed upon the Veteran's joints during active service.

The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for right knee instability between August 6, 2016 and June 7, 2024, but denied higher or separate ratings for the right shoulder and malunion of the right tibia.

The Board remands the matter to obtain a new VA examination and a retrospective opinion regarding the adequacy of previous examinations.