The Board found that the veteran's rating of 20 percent was in effect for less than five years and thus applied provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 3.344(c). The most recent examination report showed improvement, warranting a reduction to 10 percent.
The deciding factor: The July 1999 examination report showed improvement from the January 1997 examination report.
- Claimed conditions
- patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- July 18, 2001
- Citation
- 0118717
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0118717.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's knee conditions, except for a 10% rating for left and right knee instability effective from October 1, 2008.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
- Partly granted
The Board restored the 20 percent disability rating for patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee and left knee strain, effective December 21, 2021, as there was no evidence showing actual improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for increased ratings for the Veteran's service-connected conditions are being remanded to provide him an additional opportunity to undergo VA examinations.
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