The Board granted service connection for disability manifested by bilateral knee pain, as due to an undiagnosed illness, and granted ratings of 40 percent and 20 percent for chronic muscular strain of the lumbar spine and cervical spine, respectively. The claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD with major depressive disorder was denied, but SMC was granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence is approximately evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's chronic muscular strain of the lumbar spine and cervical spine have been manifested by certain symptoms during flare-ups and with repeated use over time. The criteria for service connection for disability manifested by bilateral knee pain, as due to an undiagnosed illness, were met on a presumptive basis.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral knee pain
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 14, 2025
- Citation
- 25006504
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including inadequate VA examinations and failure to obtain etiological opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral elbow pain, knee pain, wrist pain, hip pain, and migraines due to a need for further development, including VA examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for allergic rhinitis, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome, bilateral knee pain, neck pain, right shoulder pain, and osteoarthritis of the whole body as there was no evidence to support a finding that any of these conditions began during active service or were otherwise related to an in-service injury.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for bilateral knee pain and right knee patella pain was dismissed as moot, but the claims were readjudicated in an August 2025 rating decision which granted service connection with an effective date of October 31, 2019.
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