Knee decisions — 2025

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's right knee instability prior to February 7, 2021, and granted a 20 percent rating from that date. The Board also denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's RLE radiculopathy.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee disability, finding no evidence to support a link between the condition and his military service.

The Board granted a 20 percent rating for left knee dislocated semilunar cartilage from February 1, 2023, and also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board dismissed the claims for earlier effective dates for entitlement to service connection for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with tendinitis, lumbar spondylolisthesis and spondylosis, left lower extremity (LLE) radiculopathy, and allergic rhinitis.

The Board granted service connection for right knee degenerative arthritis and left knee degenerative arthritis, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The Board granted service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and an initial 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while denying service connection for fibromyalgia, respiratory insufficiency, tension headaches, TMJ/TMD, right knee disability, left knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, and a scar associated with the right knee.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantial, gainful employment, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) is granted.

The Board denied service connection for a right leg disability, kidney cancer, including residuals, and bilateral knee disabilities as the evidence did not support that these conditions began during active service or are related to an in-service injury or disease.

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

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities, lumbar strain disability, and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disorders, including neck pain and stiffness, back pain and stiffness, radiculopathy of upper and lower extremities, knee pain and stiffness, and ankle pain and stiffness, as the October 2023 VA examination reports did not adequately identify the Veteran's subjective symptoms such as pain, stiffness, or weakness.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date prior to November 22, 2022, for the award of service connection and increased ratings for various knee conditions.

The Board granted service connection for dermatophytosis (tinea pedis and onychomycosis of the foot) with a rating of 30 percent, but denied service connection for multiple other conditions including hypokalemia, bilateral pes planus, cervical spine condition, left elbow condition, left foot hallux valgus, left hand condition, left hip condition, right hip condition, pain in left shoulder joint, right elbow condition, right hand condition, left extremity sciatica, right extremity sciatica, right knee condition, stomach issues, headaches, and obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board remands the claims for a back condition, hypertension, left knee condition, right knee condition, and foot pain to obtain additional evidence and medical opinions.

The Board denied service connection for a memory loss disorder and remanded the claims for right knee pain and fibromyalgia, claimed as chronic pain due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the award of separate 20 percent and 10 percent disability ratings for right knee extension and instability, respectively.

The Veteran's appeal request was denied as it was not timely filed within the one-year period from the date of notification.

The Board granted service connection for a right hip disorder and a left knee disorder, finding that the evidence is in at least approximate balance regarding whether these disorders are related to service.

The Board denied a higher rating for the Veteran's right knee disability based on limitation of motion and instability, but granted a 10 percent rating for instability from August 2012 to January 2020. The TDIU claim prior to March 12, 2018, was also denied.

The Board granted service connection for a right knee condition, left knee condition, and right shoulder condition.