The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates were denied. The Board found that the current disability ratings did not accurately reflect the level of severity of his bilateral knee disabilities.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show flexion or extension limitations meeting or nearly approximating the criteria for higher ratings under Diagnostic Codes 5260 and 5261, respectively. The Veteran's right knee scar was also found to be noncompensable as it measured less than 144 square inches.
- Claimed conditions
- Patellofemoral pain syndrome, Linear superior lateral and linear superior medial right knee scar, residual of diagnostic arthroscopy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 30, 2026
- Citation
- A26040455
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 A26040455.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's right knee disability, including a meniscal tear and patellofemoral pain syndrome, was incurred during his active service. The Board found that the evidence supported this conclusion.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities have been remanded due to the need for clarification of the extent and type of instability, as well as whether he requires prescription aids with ambulation.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his bilateral knee conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a rating higher than 10 percent.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee strain with patellofemoral pain syndrome is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board found that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as there was no evidence of flexion or extension limitations warranting an increased rating.
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