Knee decisions — 2025

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for a right knee condition and migraine headaches, resulting in the dismissal of both claims.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee strain disability, and lumbosacral strain due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral sprain, while remanding the claims for left hip strain, right hip strain, left knee instability, right knee instability, and tachycardia.

The Board granted service connection for a disorder of the feet, claimed as status post bunionectomy and status post gallbladder removal. The claims for tinnitus, PTSD, and other back, bladder, GERD, hysterectomy, neck, shoulder, hip, knee, and plantar fasciitis disabilities were denied or remanded.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to an initial disability rating higher than 10 percent and an earlier effective date for service connection for left knee strain with patellofemoral pain syndrome due to a duty to assist error.

The Board granted service connection for depression and denied all other claims, including increased ratings and earlier effective dates.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, sinusitis, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a cervical spine disability, a bilateral ankle disability, a bilateral knee disability, and a bilateral shoulder disability as there was no evidence of current diagnoses or medical nexus to active service.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and denied an increased rating for ADHD. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and left knee meniscal tear were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for a left knee disability, claimed as instability, based on in-service complaints of pain and a medical opinion linking the condition to parachute jumps during active service.

The Board denied service connection for high cholesterol, a right knee disability, and an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of stomach cancer, painful scar. The claim for a compensable rating for stomach cancer with GERD was remanded.

The Board granted service connection for a right shoulder disability and increased the rating for right knee instability to 30 percent, effective April 25, 2024, while denying other claims.

The appeal for service connection for sleep disorder is dismissed, and the Veteran's claims for service connection for alcohol use disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, somatic symptom disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and lower back strain are denied. The Board granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral pes planus and tinnitus, while denying service connection for various other conditions including acne, right wrist disability, back disability, neck disability, left hand disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, migraines headaches, traumatic brain injury (TBI), sinusitis, sleep apnea, and hearing loss.

The Board granted a disability rating of 40 percent for the lumbar spine disability and a separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability, while remanding claims for increased ratings for right and left knee flexion disabilities.

The Veteran's service connection for left knee joint osteoarthritis was granted, while the claims for bilateral ankle tendinitis with symptomatic laxity and bilateral foot degenerative arthritis were denied.

The Board remands the claims for further development to address the impact of medication on the severity of the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities.

The Board granted a 10 percent rating for hypertension, but denied higher ratings for scars of the left and right thigh, plantar fasciitis of the left foot, hip and knee osteoarthritis, and service connection for various conditions including erectile dysfunction, lumbar spine pain, TBI, and cervical spine pain.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to correct duty to assist errors, including obtaining outstanding treatment records and adequate VA medical opinions.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, osteoarthritis of the left knee, and osteoarthritis of the right knee as there was no credible evidence to support an in-service incurrence or aggravation of any of these conditions.

The Board granted an effective date of September 22, 2022, for the grant of service connection for right knee limitation of extension and flexion.