The Board granted separate ratings of 20 percent for frequent episodes of locking, pain, and swelling in both knees and 10 percent for instability in each knee. The decision denied higher ratings for the degenerative joint disease.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms met the criteria for separate ratings under Diagnostic Codes 5258 and 5257 due to credible lay evidence of bilateral knee instability and locking, pain, and effusion.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee degenerative joint disease, left knee degenerative joint disease, frequent episodes of locking, pain, and swelling in right knee, frequent episodes of locking, pain, and swelling in left knee, right knee instability, left knee instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 16, 2024
- Citation
- 24002193
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for bilateral knee instability and denied service connection for right and left knee instability, finding no nexus between the Veteran's knee conditions and his service or service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for a thoracolumbar spine disorder and bilateral knee disorders due to the need for additional VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for right knee strain and instability but granted a separate 10 percent rating for right knee limitation of extension from November 25, 2024.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left foot condition, right foot condition, cellulitis, right ear hearing loss, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The appeal of the proposal to reduce a 40 percent evaluation for lumbosacral strain was dismissed.
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