Knee decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for bilateral shin splints, a bilateral knee disability, a left shoulder disability, and a left chest disability, as well as a rating in excess of 70 percent for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and an initial 70 percent rating, but not higher, for persistent depressive disorder with anxious distress. Other claims were denied or remanded.

The Board remands the claim for a new medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's left knee degenerative arthritis was aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches and denied a higher rating for allergic rhinitis, while remanding the remaining claims.

The Veteran has withdrawn the appeal for service connection of a left knee disability.

The Board denied service connection for digestive condition and sinusitis, but granted service connection for vitiligo of the penis and lipomas. The initial ratings for various disabilities were also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to her service-connected disabilities, as she was found capable of performing full-time employment.

The appeal was dismissed due to the untimeliness of the January 16, 2025 VA Form 10182 regarding claims for service connection for a back disability, left knee disability, and right foot disability.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee degenerative arthritis prior to December 29, 2022, and granted a 30 percent rating from that date. The claim for tinnitus was also denied.

The Board granted an initial 60 percent rating for a total right knee replacement, finding that the Veteran experiences chronic residuals consisting of severe painful motion, soreness, and weakness in the right knee and leg.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral athletes' foot, onychomycosis and tinea nigra, a skin condition other than onychomycosis, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral restless leg syndrome, breathing issues, left knee pain, lumbar spine disability, migraines, an acquired psychiatric disorder claimed as PTSD with anxiety and insomnia (also claimed as sleep disturbances), and tinnitus.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right knee conditions, to include patellar tracking disorder, as they require further development of evidence.

The Board remands the service connection claims for a right and left knee disability due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for service connection and an initial compensable disability rating due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, including the need for VA examinations.

The appeals for earlier effective dates for the service-connected bilateral knee disabilities were dismissed due to failure to timely file a notice of disagreement within one year of the June 2023 rating decision.

The Board grants service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis, finding a nexus between the Veteran's in-service injury and his current disability.

The Board remands the service-connection claims for a back disability, left knee disability, and right shoulder disability to correct pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.

The Board remands the motion for revision on the basis of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) of the July 19, 2018 Rating Decision that denied service connection for various conditions.

The Board granted an effective date of May 18, 2023, for the grant of service connection for a left knee strain and right knee strain.