The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities are rated under the criteria for arthritis, not retropatellar pain syndrome. The Board found that his symptoms were due to unrelated degenerative arthritis.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the Veteran’s knee symptoms were caused by unrelated degenerative arthritis rather than service-connected retropatellar pain syndrome or patellofemoral syndrome.
- Claimed conditions
- Right knee retropatellar pain syndrome, Left knee retropatellar pain syndrome, Bilateral knee degenerative arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19175618
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial and increased ratings for right elbow postoperative residuals are denied, as the evidence does not show more than pain without compensable motion loss. The separate rating for a scar is also denied. For his right knee retropatellar pain syndrome, no additional or higher ratings are granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities have been denied as the evidence does not show that either condition warrants a rating in excess of 10 percent.
- Granted
The Veteran's left and right knee disorders are rated at 30 percent each, effective July 31, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to a lack of retrospective opinion and proper consideration of flare-ups during the appeal period.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.