Knee condition: VA claim review preparation
Identify which knee and which disputed finding the appeal concerns: service connection, motion, instability, surgery residuals, or another documented problem.

Start with the notice
- Keep the complete decision notice, the reasons for each denied issue, favorable findings, evidence list, and instructions for review. Separate a denied service connection from a dispute about the percentage or effective date.
- Mark which disputed fact each record addresses. For an HLR, point to evidence already in the record; a Supplemental Claim requires new and relevant evidence. Verify the available lane before sending anything.
- Keep a copy of the form, attachments and filing receipt. These preparation notes do not file a claim or establish that VA received it.

Condition-specific records to gather
- Gather the diagnosis, relevant imaging, treatment and surgery records for the correct knee.
- Compare the examination with your actual limitations during repeated use and flare-ups. Keep dated notes on frequency, duration, walking, standing and other affected activities.
- Identify any documented instability, prescribed assistive device, or service-connected condition claimed to cause or aggravate the knee problem. Ask a clinician to address the disputed facts rather than assign yourself a percentage.

Several knee codes can apply, but the same manifestation cannot simply be counted more than once. A diagnosis or imaging finding alone does not determine a rating.

Notes for you and your representative:
Disputed issue:
Record / date / what it addresses:
Missing information:
Next step and filing receipt:

U.S. federal VA benefits. Educational preparation, not medical or legal advice; not a VA form or a filing. Keep your completed copy private. A historical Board outcome does not predict your result.
Official sources reviewed 2026-10-07:
VA: evidence needed for a disability claim: https://www.va.gov/disability/how-to-file-claim/evidence-needed/
38 CFR 4.71a: joint and spine rating criteria: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.71a
VA: Knee and Lower Leg DBQ: https://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/docs/Knee_and_Lower_Leg.pdf
38 CFR 3.310: secondary causation and aggravation: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-3.310
https://www.veterans-rights.com/appeal-options
https://www.veterans-rights.com/deadlines
https://www.veterans-rights.com/find-a-rep