Knee decisions — 2026

The Veteran's claim for an effective date of July 15, 2013 for the grant of service connection for a left shoulder disability is granted. The initial rating for a left shoulder disability remains at 20 percent. The claim for TDIU earlier than September 25, 2020 is denied.

The Veteran's right knee scars are painful and the Board has granted a 10% rating for these scars, effective December 30, 2019.

The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations and service connection have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeals.

The Board has determined that the claim for eligibility to enroll in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is remanded due to insufficient evidence and lack of proper notice. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in a need for personal care services, but this determination was made without adequate medical justification or explanation.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's migraine headaches warrant a 30 percent rating, but no higher. The claims for bilateral pes planus, right knee chondromalacia patella, and GERD are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date of February 11, 2019 for service connection of a right knee disability is granted. The Board found that the April 2019 submission was an incomplete claim and accepted it as concurrent with the notice of intent to file a claim on February 11, 2019.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in the need of personal care services, and his PCAFC request was denied. The Board finds that the AOJ did not provide proper notice and reasoning for the denial, and thus remands the case to obtain a new determination based on updated regulations.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinions provided were inadequate and remands the case for further development, including a new examination to determine if the Veteran's hip and knee conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of a left knee strain prior to the Board's decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disorder and pseudofolliculitis barbae due to insufficient evidence in their initial decisions. The Veteran will need to undergo new VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claim for a bilateral hearing loss disability is denied as there is no current disability meeting the threshold set by VA regulations.,The Veteran's claim for a vision loss disability is denied due to lack of competent evidence identifying a current disability.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder was denied. Service connection for a back disability, right knee limitation of flexion, bilateral shin splints, and chronic headaches were all granted with specific ratings.

The Board has granted the appellant's appeals for service connection for PTSD and sleep disorder, as well as his claims for Addison's disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, duodenal ulcer with helicobacter pylori, hypothyroidism, bilateral knee condition, and lumbar strain disorder. The appeal regarding whether evidence submitted with the January 2016 application constituted new and material evidence with respect to veteran status is also granted.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and PTSD are granted as service-connected. The lower back, knee, hip, and ankle disabilities are also granted as service-connected, with some conditions being secondary to other service-connected disabilities.,Chronic diarrhea is granted as a service-connected condition.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability, right knee disability as secondary to the left knee disability, and hypertension. The Veteran's conditions are found to be related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of compliance with VA examination requirements and needs additional information regarding the severity of the Veteran's left knee DJD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and left knee meniscal tear, status post lateral meniscectomy (limited flexion) due to inadequate examination reports. The VA is required to obtain a new examination report that addresses the severity of the Veteran's conditions during the entire rating period on appeal.

The Veteran seeks an effective date earlier than March 21, 2024 for the award of service connection for bilateral knee gout. The Board finds that entitlement to such a rating did not arise until March 21, 2024 when a current disability was first established.,The Veteran also seeks increased initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected left and right knee gout. The Board denied these claims as the evidence does not support higher evaluations based on the degree to which motion is actually limited.

The Veteran's appeal is granted as the Board finds that his left knee disability and cervical spine disability are related to his service-connected pes planus. The claim for neoplasm of the left kidney remains denied due to lack of evidence linking it to service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection of right and left knee disorders due to a duty to assist error in not obtaining his National Guard service treatment records.