The veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities do not meet the criteria for a higher rating, and new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the claim for photosensitivity.
The deciding factor: The veteran's range of motion in both knees does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes. There is no evidence of subluxation or instability, and the veteran's symptoms do not warrant an increased rating based on functional loss due to pain and weakness.
- Claimed conditions
- Chondromalacia of the patella, right knee, Chondromalacia of the patella, left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2008
- Citation
- 0816340
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,084 · Granted: 20% (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 0816340.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to the RO for additional development, including an addendum VA examination addressing the effect of symptoms on range of motion.
- Denied
The veteran's initial claims for increased evaluations of her left knee disability were denied. The RO awarded a temporary total rating for her left knee disability from October 29, 2001 to February 28, 2003.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the veteran's chondromalacia of the patella, left and right knees do not meet or approximate the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent.
- Denied
The Board found that the veteran's chondromalacia of the patella, left knee does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating. The current evaluation of 10 percent is deemed appropriate given the veteran's symptoms and range of motion.
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