Knee decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, as well as a higher rating for tinnitus.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee and shoulder disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations.

The Board denied increased ratings for tinnitus, lumbosacral disability, and right knee disability but granted separate 10 percent ratings for instability due to an ACL tear in the knee and residuals of a right knee meniscal tear. The claims for service connection for migraine headaches and cervical spine were remanded.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left knee condition and lower back pain due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error regarding the Veteran's VA examination.

The Board remands the claims for a new VA examination and opinion to determine the nature and severity of the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, as there has not been substantial compliance with prior remand directives.

The Board remands the claims for an initial rating higher than 10 percent for left knee degenerative joint disease with laxity and right knee sprain, as well as an earlier effective date for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder with anxious distress, effective February 18, 2022, and granted a 20 percent rating for the lumbar spine disability from March 6, 2017 to June 4, 2018, and again from July 27, 2021 to May 5, 2022.

The Board granted service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities but denied service connection for a right knee disability.

The veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings of his right and left knee conditions, resulting in the dismissal of both claims.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions due to missing service treatment records.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as obstructive sleep apnea, due to a failure by the AOJ to properly develop the claim by making reasonable attempts to locate the Veteran's service treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 30 percent for right knee disabilities, status post total knee replacement.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including psychological disabilities and physical injuries, as the evidence did not support a finding of current disability or a link to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use due to several lower extremity disabilities, as no effective function remains other than that which would be equally well served by an amputation stump with a prosthesis.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and allergic rhinitis, granted service connection for asthma with an effective date of August 5, 2021, and granted an earlier effective date of July 30, 2021, for the lumbosacral strain rating. The decision also remanded several other claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for patellofemoral pain syndrome with limitation of flexion and extension in both knees, as the evidence did not support a higher level of impairment under the applicable rating criteria.

The appeal for service connection for left and right shoulder disabilities and left and right knee disabilities was dismissed due to a procedural error in docketing the same claims under two different dockets.

The Board granted a 50 percent rating for adjustment disorder with anxiety and denied higher ratings for the left and right knee disabilities, as well as service connection for various other conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee condition and granted service connection for insomnia as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected melanoma. The claim for a right shoulder condition was remanded for further development.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for sleep apnea, foot fungus, coronary artery disease (CAD), left knee disorder, diabetes mellitus, type II, macular degeneration, acquired psychiatric disorder, and right knee disorder to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.