Knee decisions — 2025

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for her right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings.

The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for migraine headaches and migraine variant headaches, but denied an increased rating for TBI with benign positional vertigo. The claims for increased ratings for speech impairment involving the left and right tenth cranial nerves and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome were remanded.

The Board remands the claims for an initial compensable disability rating for headaches, service connection for adjustment disorder, and service connection for left knee pain due to inadequate VA examinations.

The Board granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis and right knee osteoarthritis, secondary to the service-connected left knee disability. The claims for hypertension, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus type II, and polyneuropathy were remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for a 40 percent disability rating for digestive disability and a 20 percent disability rating for left knee disability, as there was no legal or factual basis to support an earlier effective date.

The appeal was dismissed due to the Veteran's passing during its pendency.

The Board denied service connection for GERD, a left knee disability, and a right knee disability as there was no evidence of an in-service disease or injury related to these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for lower back, left foot, right foot, right knee, and right hip disabilities as there was no evidence of a current disability or in-service incurrence or aggravation of the claimed conditions.

The Board granted service connection for right shoulder arthritis and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The remaining claims were remanded to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board granted service connection for plantar fasciitis on the right and left foot, left and right ankle strain, left and right knee osteoarthritis, and left and right hip strain, all secondary to service-connected back and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities with weight gain/obesity as an intermediate step.

The Board denied service connection for GERD and remanded the claims for bilateral ankle, knee, hip, headache, and lower back conditions due to insufficient evidence.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, bilateral achilles tendonitis, gout, diabetes mellitus, type 2 (DMII), obstructive sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety and depression. The Board denied increased ratings for right and left knee degenerative joint disease, separate ratings for instability of the knees, a separate rating for residuals of a right knee meniscectomy, and service connection for bilateral leg pain, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic sinus disability, respiratory disability due to exposure to asbestos, heart murmur, irregular heartbeat, and seizures.

The Board remands the claims for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and a compensable disability rating for left ear hearing loss due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board dismissed the claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction as it had already been granted in full, and denied a rating higher than 10 percent for GERD with hiatal hernia and gastroduodenitis. The claims for service connection for left and right knee conditions were remanded.

The appeals related to the reduction of ratings and duty to assist errors for right knee conditions were dismissed due to procedural issues.

The Board denied ratings in excess of 30 percent for bilateral foot disability, a rating in excess of 30 percent for left knee disability, and a rating in excess of 10 percent for lung disability. However, it granted an effective date of December 17, 2012, but no earlier, for the award service connection for limitation of extension of the left knee and left knee scar, and granted TDIU from January 17, 2013 to November 5, 2018.

The Board granted an initial rating of 10 percent for right and left knee strain with degenerative arthritis, but remanded the claims for separate ratings based on instability and/or locking.

The Board remands the claim for a new VA examination to address the severity of the service-connected left knee disability, as the previous examination was found inadequate.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as there was no evidence to support higher ratings or a grant of service connection.

The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral pes planus (flat feet), bilateral ankle condition, bilateral knee condition, and lower back condition as there was no evidence of a current disability or that the disabilities were related to the Veteran's military service.