The Veteran's left knee disability has been characterized by pain and degenerative changes, but the limitation of flexion to 30 degrees or less, extension limited to 10 degrees or more, favorable ankylosis of the knee at full extension or in slight flexion between 0 and 10 degrees, and recurrent subluxation or instability that is 'moderate' in nature have not been shown. As such, entitlement to increased ratings for his left knee disabilities has been denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence of limitation of motion beyond the noncompensable levels established by Diagnostic Code 5260 and 5261, which precludes a higher rating based on flexion or extension alone. The Veteran's instability was rated under DC 5257 for lateral instability.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative arthritis of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 9, 2023
- Citation
- 23014400
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 23014400.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder, left knee, and right knee due to inadequate VA examinations in August 2020 and January 2021.
- Denied
The Board denied higher ratings for the Veteran's knee and cervical spine disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees, but remanded the issue of a low back disability for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development and clarification regarding the severity of the Veteran's left knee and right knee disabilities, specifically to determine if the Veteran has experienced 'the functional equivalent of range of motion loss contemplated by the next higher rating' at any point during the appeal period.
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