Knee decisions — 2025

Service connection for left and right knee disabilities is granted. Other issues are remanded for further evaluation.

The appeal for service connection of a back disability was denied. Service connection for rhinitis and chronic sinusitis was granted under the PACT Act, but these issues were remanded along with GERD. The claims for hemorrhoids and knee disabilities were denied.

The veteran's claims for service connection of left and right knee disabilities were denied due to lack of new evidence. The claim for a higher disability rating for PTSD was also denied. However, the issues regarding service connection for headaches, Meniere's disease, OSA, and TDIU were remanded for further review.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxious distress, was granted. Claims for bilateral hearing loss and sleep apnea were denied. Other claims related to various conditions were remanded for further review.

The Board denied the use of the bilateral factor to calculate the Veteran's rating for service-connected painful scars of the left and right knees. The Veteran is already receiving a higher rating than warranted under the diagnostic code.

The veteran's appeal for an effective date of March 1, 2016, for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities was granted. The decision is based on the veteran's service-connected conditions precluding substantially gainful employment from that date forward.

Service connection for left knee and right ankle disorders was denied because the evidence did not support that these conditions existed or were related to military service.

The Board remanded the veteran's claims for service connection of low back disability and right knee degenerative arthritis due to insufficient evidence. The veteran will have additional opportunities to submit evidence.

The veteran's claim for service connection for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood as secondary to service-connected disabilities was granted. The veteran's claims for increased ratings for chondromalacia in both knees were denied, but separate ratings of 10 percent for recurrent subluxation of both knees were granted. Additionally, the veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea, finding it is secondary to the veteran's service-connected left knee disability through obesity.

Service connection for left shoulder, right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities was denied. Service connection for erectile dysfunction was remanded.

The veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The claim for service connection for the right knee condition was granted, while the claim for the left knee condition was remanded.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee condition with pain was granted. The claim for a left shoulder condition with pain was remanded for further examination.

The veteran's requests for higher ratings for several conditions were denied, but the veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's claim for an extraschedular rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus and a rating in excess of 10 percent for a back disorder was denied. The veteran was granted a rating of 20 percent, but no higher, for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity. Several other claims were remanded.

The Board dismissed all claims due to an error in docketing.

The Board denied service connection for left ankle, right ankle, PFB, and headaches. The claims for left knee disability, ulcer condition, asthma, and hearing loss were remanded.

The appeal regarding the severance of service connection for PTSD was dismissed. Service connection for sleep apnea disorder was denied. The severance of service connection for hypertension was proper, while the severances for lumbosacral strain, right shoulder strain, left shoulder strain, right knee tendinitis, left knee tendinitis, and erectile dysfunction were improper and service connection was restored. The issue of service connection for a headache disorder, to include as secondary to service-connected PTSD, was remanded.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions, including PTSD, anxiety, athletes foot, dehydration, gastrointestinal issues, left knee disability, left ankle strain, left foot pain, low back disability, insomnia, and suicidal ideation. The Veteran's in-service experiences were not corroborated or related to hostile military activity.

The veteran's service connection claim for a left knee disability was granted based on evidence of an in-service event causing the disability.