Knee decisions — 2026

The Board has granted service connection for left and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions had onset in service and cause impairment in earning capacity.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to failure to notify and schedule the Veteran for VA examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee strain is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that this rating adequately reflects his symptoms. The Veteran does not have more than a 30 degree limitation of motion in his right knee, which would warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's right knee disability, spondylolisthesis of the neck as secondary to cervical strain, intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) of the neck as secondary to cervical strain, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy as secondary to cervical strain, and migraines have been granted service connection. The lower back strain (lumbosacral strain), middle back strain (thoracic strain), spinal stenosis as secondary to degenerative arthritis, spondylolisthesis, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy have also been granted service connection. The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his already-service connected cervical spine condition has been denied.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on four specific conditions has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ankle pain/arthritis due to a lack of an opinion addressing causation and aggravation, as well as gait-related issues. The case is being returned for further development.

The Board has remanded several claims related to the Veteran's knee disabilities, including higher ratings and earlier effective dates. The issues are inextricably intertwined.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claim.,Service connection is granted for left knee pain, bilateral RLS, and allergic rhinitis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for elbow wrist pain left arm, right knee hyperextension, and scoliosis (3rd degree) due to a lack of adequate medical opinions and incomplete evidence. The claims are being returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral ankle and knee conditions and erectile dysfunction. The issues are related to his active duty service.

The Board has dismissed all claims related to the Veteran's knee conditions and secondary service connection requests due to his death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings due to lack of consideration of evidence from specific rating decisions, and a need for new VA examinations to assess the baseline severity of his left ankle and right knee disabilities without considering the effects of OTC pain medications.

The Board has found that new and relevant evidence received after the September 2023 supplemental claim decision supports readjudicating the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, left knee pain, right knee pain, and a back disability. However, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, these issues are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected fecal incontinence is rated at 30 percent, and the Board has remanded for further examination to determine if he also has hemorrhoids secondary to his fecal incontinence. Other claims are also being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected right and left knee disabilities are being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error regarding the ameliorative effects of medication on his disability evaluations.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed as the Notice of Disagreement was not timely filed.

Your appeals for bilateral hearing loss and right knee condition have been dismissed because you did not file a timely Notice of Disagreement in response to the July 2022 rating decision.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions, effective February 22, 2022.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence linking the condition to his in-service noise exposure.,The Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for a 10 percent rating for right knee disability was denied because it did not meet the criteria of being factually ascertainable that he had entitlement prior to July 20, 2024.,The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his right knee disability was also denied as there is no evidence showing that his condition more nearly approximated the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of CUE in the April 2008 rating decision that denied service connection for a left knee condition, finding that the correct facts were not before the adjudicator and manifestly different results would have been reached if the error had not occurred.