The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 20 percent for status post repair of the meniscal lesion with ACL reconstruction or a separate rating for arthritis.
The deciding factor: The VA medical records and examination findings showed no more than moderate recurrent lateral instability of the left knee and radiological evidence of degenerative arthritic changes, which did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under relevant diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee Meniscal Lesion, Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 26, 2006
- Citation
- 0602294
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,440 · Granted: 30% (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 0602294.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for the right knee disability and a separate compensable rating for right knee limitation of extension.
- Granted
The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 20% for the period from March 18, 2019. A separate 10% evaluation is granted for instability of the left knee.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee conditions prior to April 23, 2007; as of June 1, 2007; and as of October 7, 2006 have been denied.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee disability, characterized by pain, stiffness, and limited flexion, is currently rated at 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 5260. The condition has been stable with no additional functional impairment.
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