The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of medial meniscectomy with ACL reconstruction on the left knee warrant a 30 percent evaluation, reflecting severe recurrent subluxation or lateral instability. The issue of entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for left knee arthritis is not addressed as it does not meet the criteria for such a rating.
The deciding factor: The March 2003 VA examination report indicated moderate laxity on examination and with lateral movements, edema of the left knee, a mildly positive McMurray's test, left quadriceps atrophy, decreased strength and reflexes on the left, tenderness to palpation, pain with motion, and an altered gait. These findings are consistent with severe recurrent subluxation or lateral instability.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- January 21, 2004
- Citation
- 0402156
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 180 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0402156.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of June 19, 2002.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations. The AOJ is instructed to obtain private treatment records from Mays & Schnapp Pain Management and schedule the Veteran for additional medical examinations.
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