The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the criteria provided in the applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not show ankylosis, severe recurrent subluxation or lateral instability, dislocated semilunar cartilage with frequent episodes of locking, pain, and effusion into the joint, flexion limited to 30 degrees, extension limited to 15 degrees, or impairment of the tibia or fibula with a moderate knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee osteoarthritis, status/post meniscal tear, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 16, 2020
- Citation
- A20018665
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 A20018665.
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 Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection, higher ratings, and earlier effective dates, as well as dismissed his claim for a TDIU.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a right knee disability, diagnosed as right knee osteoarthritis and strain pes anserine, on a secondary basis due to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for hypertension and remanded the claims for bilateral tinnitus, right knee osteoarthritis, and left knee osteoarthritis due to inadequate medical evidence.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral knee, bilateral shoulder, low back and bilateral hip disabilities based on the evidence showing that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active military service.
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