The Board denied increased ratings for left knee chondromalacia patella with instability and left knee posttraumatic arthritis, as well as right knee instability. The Veteran's claims were remanded but the appeal is still pending.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support higher ratings for any of the conditions due to lack of objective findings of instability or other disabling symptoms that would warrant a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Knee Chondromalacia Patella, Left Knee Posttraumatic Arthritis, Right Knee Instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20074159
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70% rating for PTSD from November 25, 2015 to August 12, 2024 and a 40% rating for the right shoulder disability. It also granted 10% ratings for both feet and 20% ratings for knee patellofemoral pain syndromes.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hypertension and an earlier effective date of May 14, 2018, for radiculopathy right lower extremity. Other claims were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating higher than 20 percent for right knee limitation of motion but granted a separate 10 percent rating, but no higher, for right knee instability.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for right knee limitation of flexion and instability, as the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
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