The Board granted service connection for left and right knee arthritis, finding that the Veteran's bilateral knee condition is related to increased physical demands and overuse during his military service.
The deciding factor: The January 2021 and May 2021 VA examiners' opinions were favored as they provided a comprehensive discussion based on medical literature and specific application to the Veteran's presentation of knee pain and muscle weakness, while the March 2021 and March 2022 opinions did not properly consider the Veteran's lay statements.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee arthritis, right knee arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 22, 2024
- Citation
- A24067599
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings or service connection for the claimed conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right knee arthritis, finding that the Veteran's condition is related to his active duty service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee arthritis, right knee arthritis, and tinnitus. The increased evaluation claim for pes planus was denied, as was the increase in rating for the right wrist fracture. The reduction of the right wrist rating from 10 percent to 0 percent was found improper, restoring the 10 percent rating.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee arthritis and a separate 30 percent or higher rating for the period from January 1, 2020, to July 23, 2025, but granted a 10 percent rating for right knee slight recurrent subluxation and lateral instability.
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