BVA decisions by condition
Knee conditions: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a knee issue in 92,362 decisions. It granted the knee issue in 19.1% of them, close to the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 31.8%, and remanded it in 53.8%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 37.5% were granted.
Decisions
92,362
2017–2026
Granted
19.1%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
37.5%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
53.8%
Denied: 31.8%
Knee conditions outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 9,797 | 10.8% | 31.1% | 53.7% | 4.4% |
| 2018 | 15,596 | 13.6% | 30.6% | 52.6% | 3.1% |
| 2019 | 16,396 | 14.0% | 29.4% | 54.7% | 1.9% |
| 2020 | 16,158 | 15.9% | 33.2% | 49.5% | 1.3% |
| 2021 | 16,158 | 16.2% | 32.3% | 50.1% | 1.4% |
| 2022 | 15,823 | 17.9% | 26.4% | 54.4% | 1.3% |
| 2023 | 16,924 | 17.8% | 26.7% | 54.3% | 1.2% |
| 2024 | 16,545 | 20.4% | 28.8% | 49.6% | 1.3% |
| 2025 | 15,277 | 22.2% | 30.9% | 45.6% | 1.3% |
| 2026 | 5,933 | 28.2% | 29.8% | 40.8% | 1.2% |
Each row counts issues (each condition the Board decided), so the shares add up to 100%. Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome. Years with fewer than 50 issues are left out.
Evidence in granted and denied knee decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the knee issue on the merits when the decision mentioned it, compared with decisions that did not. These are associations, not causes, and evidence is recorded per decision, not per issue.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive nexus opinion | 11,801 | 70.8% | 30.1% | +40.7 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 9,106 | 58.5% | 33.7% | +24.9 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 4,073 | 58.2% | 36.1% | +22.1 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 24,701 | 48.8% | 31.9% | +16.9 pts |
| Buddy statement | 2,922 | 51.3% | 37.0% | +14.3 pts |
| Combat service | 4,322 | 49.2% | 36.9% | +12.4 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 14,374 | 47.7% | 36.2% | +11.5 pts |
| Lay statement | 75,911 | 37.1% | 40.2% | −3.1 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 66.7% of the decisions that granted knee.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 40.2% of grants and 14.8% of denials.
Negative evidence in the record
An unfavorable exam or a negative nexus opinion often sits in the same record as favorable evidence, and the Board weighs them against each other. So these rows show how often knee was still granted when the record contained the negative item, not that the item helped.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negative nexus opinion | 41,751 | 36.6% | 38.3% | −1.7 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 68,201 | 36.2% | 43.7% | −7.5 pts |
Knee conditions claimed as a secondary condition
Decisions where knee was claimed as secondary to another service-connected disability (38 CFR 3.310), by that disability.
Conditions claimed secondary to a knee condition
Other conditions veterans claimed as caused or aggravated by knee, with how often the Board granted them.
- Hip impairment secondary to a knee condition2,665 decisions · 19.0% granted
- Degenerative arthritis of the spine secondary to a knee condition2,449 decisions · 24.1% granted
- Intervertebral disc syndrome secondary to a knee condition1,760 decisions · 19.7% granted
- Sleep apnea secondary to a knee condition983 decisions · 46.2% granted
- Ankle impairment secondary to a knee condition952 decisions · 15.2% granted
- Thoracolumbar or lumbar spine limitation of motion secondary to a knee condition636 decisions · 8.6% granted
- Osteoarthritis secondary to a knee condition535 decisions · 34.2% granted
- Major depressive disorder secondary to a knee condition512 decisions · 49.4% granted
- Foot impairment secondary to a knee condition445 decisions · 8.3% granted
- Shoulder impairment secondary to a knee condition426 decisions · 15.0% granted
- Cervical spine limitation of motion secondary to a knee condition396 decisions · 10.6% granted
Why the Board granted or denied knee
Most common reasons in grants
- Current diagnosis established1,837
- Continuity of symptomatology since service461
- Caused by the service-connected disability435
- Service connection established248
- Already at the maximum schedular rating184
- Criteria for service connection met152
- Criteria for 10 percent rating met123
- Aggravated by the service-connected disability101
Most common reasons in denials
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim2,947
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service2,583
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis2,524
- Service records negative or silent1,668
- No current diagnosis1,599
- Current diagnosis established1,212
- No continuity of symptomatology640
- Already at the maximum schedular rating426
Numbers are decisions that gave the reason. Reasons are short phrases extracted by AI from each decision; common wordings of the same reason are grouped. Benefit of the doubt is reported above.
Recent knee decisions
Granted
No dispute of current disability.; Credible lay statements regarding in-service knee use.; Probative private medical opinion provided positive nexus.
Favorable finding from April 2025 VA examination regarding current disability.; Competent and credible lay evidence of symptom onset during service and continuity of symptoms.; Inadequate VA opinion due to failure to consider lay evidence and progression of severe arthritis.; Reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran due to equipoise in evidence.
Lay statements consistent with service; STRs show complaint of ankle pain; Benefit of the doubt applied
Denied
No in-service treatment or complaints of knee symptoms documented in STRs.; Veteran expressly denied knee symptoms in 1991 service medical history.; Post-service diagnosis of degenerative changes and tendonitis not linked to service.; VA examinations consistently found conditions not related to service.; Veteran's claims of in-service symptoms found not credible due to inconsistencies.
VA examinations from January 2014 to December 2021 showed normal knee stability.; Lay and medical evidence did not demonstrate recurrent subluxation or dislocation.; Veteran's description of 'loose motion' and occasional brace use did not meet criteria for moderate instability.
No in-service complaints or diagnosis of knee issues.; Diagnosis of left meniscus tear in 2014 and left knee degenerative arthritis in 2023.; Etiology and pathophysiology of meniscus tears and degenerative arthritis are fully understood (overuse/trauma).; Veteran reported pop in 2023, supporting conditions did not occur during service.; Less likely than not incurred in or caused by claimed in-service injury.
Rules that apply to knee claims
- 38 CFR 4.71a · DC 5256-5263
Schedule of ratings: musculoskeletal system (knee and leg)
Read it in VA Law Explorer - M21-1 V.iii.1.B.4
Knee: instability, meniscus, genu recurvatum, and when to rate them separately from limited motion
Read it in VA Law Explorer - M21-1 V.iii.1.A
Painful motion and functional loss (38 CFR 4.59, DeLuca, Mitchell, Correia), incl. knee replacement
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.303
Principles of service connection
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.102
Reasonable doubt (benefit of the doubt)
Read it in VA Law Explorer
Research your knee case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Rates count decisions in which the Board decided a knee issue, by the outcome of that issue. Other issues in the same decision can have different outcomes.
- “Granted on the merits” leaves out remands and dismissals. “All conditions” is the grant share across every condition issue in the data.
- The data comes from CaseScribe's AI extraction of public BVA decisions (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.