The Board granted increased ratings for the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, including flexion and extension limitations, joint instability, and meniscus tear residuals.
The deciding factor: The symptoms of the Veteran's knee disabilities more nearly approximated the criteria for higher ratings based on functional loss during flareups, repetitive use, and discounting the ameliorative effects of medication.
- Claimed conditions
- right knee limitation of flexion, left knee limitation of flexion, right knee limitation of extension, left knee limitation of extension, left knee joint instability/subluxation, right knee joint instability/subluxation, right knee meniscus tear residuals, left knee meniscus tear residuals
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- November 4, 2025
- Citation
- 25013656
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 25013656.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and service connection were dismissed. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew his appeal as to the issues of entitlement to increased disability ratings for left foot metatarsalgia, tinnitus, left wrist disability, right foot plantar warts, and for service connection for right foot plantar warts at a September 2024 hearing. Service connection was granted for migraines.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and granted earlier effective dates of January 22, 2024, for the grants of service connection for right ear hearing loss, a left shoulder disability (left shoulder strain with joint instability), a low back disability (lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS)), left knee strain, left knee limitation of flexion, and left knee limitation of extension.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, right knee meniscal tear with osteoarthritis and patellofemoral pain syndrome, and right knee limitation of extension. The effective dates are April 15, 2015, January 30, 2015, and January 20, 2015 respectively.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bowel and/or bladder disability, as well as other claims related to his spine and knee conditions, has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate these matters.
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