The Board granted restoration of a 20 percent rating for left knee limitation of flexion and denied an increased rating for instability of the left knee.
The deciding factor: The reduction in the rating was improper as it did not account for the Veteran's use of Tramadol, which should not affect the assigned rating according to Jones v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 56 (2012).
- Claimed conditions
- Left knee limitation of flexion, Left knee instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 16, 2025
- Citation
- A25052591
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied ratings in excess of 10 percent for left and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome but granted a separate 10 percent rating for left knee instability. The claim for service connection for a back disorder was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for left and right knee instability and limitation of flexion due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 40 percent rating for degenerative disc disease (DDD) with degenerative arthritis and retrolisthesis from February 16, 2021. Other claims were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied ratings in excess of the assigned percentages for the veteran's left knee and back disabilities, but granted a 20 percent rating for left knee limitation of flexion from August 4, 2014 to September 24, 2024, and a 30 percent rating for a back disability from August 16, 2019.
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