The Veteran's claim for service connection and increased rating for his right knee disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection, as there is no evidence showing an in-service injury or disease related to the current left knee disability. For the right knee patellofemoral syndrome, the Board noted that while the Veteran's symptoms were painful and limited motion was present, they did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under Diagnostic Code 5260.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for the left knee disability. The right knee patellofemoral syndrome is rated based on noncompensable limitation of motion due to painful osteoarthritis, which did not meet criteria for higher ratings under Diagnostic Code 5260.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee disability, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, status post arthroscopy for lateral patellar decompression
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- August 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19166054
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · Granted: 29% (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 19166054.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in the July 2012 VA examination for the Veteran's left knee disability, and a new addendum opinion is needed.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as these issues have been addressed in a separate docket.
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