Knee decisions — 2025

The Board granted a 50 percent rating for tension headaches and a 50 percent rating for left knee strain, limitation of extension, while denying ratings in excess of 30 percent for TMJ and a compensable rating for alopecia areata. The decision also granted 20 percent ratings for left and right knee strains with limitations on flexion and extension.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for right knee pain and bilateral calf pain to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including verifying the periods of active duty, ADT, and IDT.

The Board granted readjudication of the claims for service connection for shin splints, foot pain, left hip condition, right knee pain, and back pain based on new and relevant evidence. The claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, migraine headaches, and left knee disability were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, as currently diagnosed, related to in-service military sexual trauma (MST).

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee and ankle disabilities due to incomplete VA examinations.

The Board denied higher ratings for the Veteran's right lower extremity neuropathy, painful scar of the right knee, and non-painful manifestations of a scar on the right knee.

The Board granted service connection for left knee arthritis, right knee arthritis, and migraine headaches. The esophageal condition claim was remanded.

The Board grants disability compensation benefits for a left knee disability, as the Veteran's discharge from service was under honorable conditions and the current disability is related to an in-service injury.

The Board dismissed the claims for earlier effective dates and SMC, as there was no justiciable case or controversy regarding the sleep apnea rating reduction, and the Veteran did not meet the criteria for an earlier effective date for service connection for right knee strain, tinnitus, or SMC.

The Board granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, vertigo (also claimed as dizziness), left knee tendonitis and osteoarthritis, right knee strain and osteoarthritis, left hip disorder diagnosed as left hip osteoarthritis, and right hip disorder diagnosed as right hip osteoarthritis.

The appeal is remanded to obtain additional medical evidence regarding the severity of the Veteran's right knee, right hip, and lumbar spine disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to a lack of adequate medical evidence regarding the severity and manifestations of the Veteran's right knee disabilities from February 2015 to the present.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for left knee disorder to correct duty to assist errors and ensure all relevant evidence is considered.

The Board granted service connection for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, but denied service connection for sinusitis. The Board also granted initial ratings of 20%, 30%, and 70% for right knee osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis, and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, respectively.

The Board denied an initial rating higher than 50 percent for PTSD, granted a 20 percent rating for bilateral dry eye syndrome, and denied ratings higher than 10 percent for left knee strain with arthritis and a compensable initial rating for right ear hearing loss. The Board also denied service connection for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, left hip arthralgia, right hip arthralgia, right foot pes planus and plantar fasciitis, status post subtalar joint arthrodesis (right foot condition), and candida infections but granted service connection for left leg lower extremity radiculopathy and right leg lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis.

The Board granted service connection for a left hip disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left and right knee disabilities, but denied increased ratings for cervical spine, right knee, left knee (meniscal tear status post meniscal repair), and left knee (limitation of motion) disabilities. A 10 percent rating was granted for the left knee scar.,The Board remanded the claim for service connection for sleep apnea for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for right knee scars as the area of the scars does not meet the criteria for a 10 percent rating under DC 7802, and there is no evidence that the scars are unstable or painful.

The veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for left knee patellar femoral syndrome, right knee patellar femoral syndrome, low back strain, and right hip bursitis.

The Board granted a 30 percent rating for bilateral pes planus (flatfoot) and remanded the claim for a right knee disability.

The Board granted service connection for a right knee disability, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.