Knee decisions — 2025

The Board granted service connection for a left knee disability, diagnosed as status post left knee meniscectomy with degenerative arthritis in the left knee, finding that it had its onset during active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates, finding that his symptoms did not meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The appeal was dismissed for the issues of service connection for left and right leg conditions, and the claims for service connection for shoulder strains were denied. A separate disability rating of 20 percent from August 7, 2013, for left knee instability was granted.

The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee, left knee, right wrist, left shoulder, left foot, and lumbar spine disorders based on their onset during active duty.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating for patellofemoral pain syndrome, left knee.

The Board granted service connection for asthma from August 10, 2022, based on the Veteran's presumed exposure to burn pit smoke during his deployment in Kuwait and Afghanistan.

The Board granted service connection for PTSD and a bilateral hearing loss disability, while denying increased ratings for several conditions including GERD, right wrist CTS, left wrist CTS, right knee strain, left knee strain, right shin splint with MTSS, and left shin splint with MTSS. The Board also granted separate ratings of 30 percent, 20 percent, 40 percent, and 10 percent for neurological impairment of the right median nerve associated with CTS, lumbar degenerative arthritis with spondylosis, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, respectively.

The Board remands the claims for higher disability ratings for hypertension, GERD, allergic rhinitis, and right knee to correct a duty to assist error.

The Board granted increased ratings for the Veteran's left knee disability and service connection for tinnitus, while denying service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also granted service connection for right and left hip disabilities, as well as a psychiatric disability, but remanded several other claims.

The veteran was granted a rating of at least 10 percent for left ankle scars and denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD with gastritis, as well as service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, right foot plantar fasciitis, left foot plantar fasciitis, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and an acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board granted ratings of 30 percent for the left and right knee disabilities, 40 percent for the right shoulder disability, and 30 percent for the left shoulder, back, migraine headache, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) disabilities as of February 22, 2022.

The Board denied the Veteran's motion for revision, based on clear and unmistakable error, of the November 26, 2013, Rating Decision that assigned initial noncompensable disability ratings for multiple conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a clothing allowance for Sunscreen SPF 30 as there is no evidence that he was prescribed sunscreen for a service-connected disability.

The Board denied an effective date prior to June 12, 2021 for the assignment of a 70 percent evaluation for schizoaffective disorder bipolar type and denied effective dates prior to June 12, 2021 for service connection for right knee instability and painful scars on the right lower extremity. However, it granted an effective date of August 24, 2020 but no earlier for TDIU and DEA benefits.

The Board granted service connection for a left knee disability and a right knee disability, both considered as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability.

The Board denied a compensable rating for the service-connected tenia pedis and onychomycosis bilateral feet, denied earlier effective dates for increased ratings and service connection, and remanded several claims for further development.

The Board remands the case to determine whether new and relevant evidence has been received to readjudicate claims of service connection for various conditions.

The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, allergic rhinitis, and secondary knee disabilities due to the Veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities and PTSD, but granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 30 percent for right knee replacement due to an inadequacy in the previous examination.