Knee decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a left knee condition, and right knee strain as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or otherwise related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for migraine headaches, granted a 50 percent initial rating for migraine headaches, and denied service connection for a left knee disability.

The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance, effective December 8, 2025.

The Board granted earlier effective dates of service connection for the veteran's left knee strain extension, right knee strain extension, left knee strain flexion, right knee strain flexion, left knee subluxation, right knee subluxation, left shoulder strain, and tinnitus back to February 16, 2023.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right wrist pain, left wrist pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, and a traumatic brain injury as the evidence did not support that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Board dismissed the claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and denied claims for right ankle calcaneal enthesopathy and left ankle calcaneal enthesopathy. The remaining claims were remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including a back disability, neck disability, right pelvic disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability.

The Board granted an effective date of April 14, 2023, for the award of service connection for tinnitus, tension headaches, right and left knee strains, and right and left hip strains.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including foot, knee, hip, shoulder, and peripheral neuropathy conditions, to ensure proper development of evidence.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, a headache condition, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), left knee condition, and right knee condition. The claim for obstructive sleep apnea was remanded.

The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder, right foot bunion, and left knee strain as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and related conditions have been found to warrant a 70 percent rating, but no higher. Additionally, the Veteran is granted a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral ankle and knee conditions to schedule examinations to determine if the Veteran's complaints rise to the level of a current disability under Saunders v. Wilkie, and whether such disabilities are related to his period of active duty service.

The Board denied service connection for right knee, left knee, and lumbar spine disabilities as they are not related to the Veteran's in-service frostbite or any other in-service injury.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals denied service connection for the cause of death, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his metastatic rectal carcinoma.

The Board granted service connection for right foot pes planus, left foot pes planus, trigonum impingement, and pes cavus, right ankle sprain, left ankle sprain, right knee strain, and left knee strain. Additionally, the Veteran was granted an initial rating of 60 percent for a skin condition, to include dermatitis and tinea pedis.

The Board denied service connection for right and left knee conditions as there was no evidence of a chronic condition during active duty or within one year of separation, and the current conditions were unrelated to any in-service injury, disease, or event.

The Board granted a rating of 30 percent, but no higher, from February 24, 2023, to April 7, 2025, for the Veteran's right knee disability and a 20 percent rating for instability. The Board also granted service connection for an eye disorder as secondary to sinusitis.

The Board denied service connection for various orthopedic conditions and hypertension, as well as an initial compensable rating for a left 5th metacarpal fracture, finding no medical evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher disability rating.