BVA decisions by condition
Left knee condition: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2018 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a left knee condition issue in 624 decisions. It granted the left knee condition issue in 0.5% of them, below the 19.9% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 5.8%, and remanded it in 91.7%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 7.7% were granted.
Decisions
624
2018–2026
Granted
0.5%
All conditions: 19.9%
Granted on the merits
7.7%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
91.7%
Denied: 5.8%
Left knee condition outcomes by year
| Year | Decisions | Granted | Denied | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 55 | 0.0% | 12.7% | 87.3% |
| 2020 | 54 | 0.0% | 3.7% | 92.6% |
| 2021 | 70 | 0.0% | 4.3% | 91.4% |
| 2022 | 67 | 0.0% | 3.0% | 94.0% |
| 2023 | 89 | 0.0% | 4.5% | 93.3% |
| 2024 | 110 | 0.0% | 6.4% | 91.8% |
| 2025 | 101 | 1.0% | 6.9% | 92.1% |
Evidence in granted and denied left knee condition decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the left knee condition 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 | 166 | 16.7% | 3.7% | +13.0 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 230 | 15.4% | 3.8% | +11.5 pts |
| Combat service | 61 | 0.0% | 8.6% | −8.6 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 105 | 0.0% | 9.4% | −9.4 pts |
| Lay statement | 582 | 3.3% | 22.2% | −18.9 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 66.7% of the decisions that granted left knee condition.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 33.3% of grants and 27.8% 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 left knee condition 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 | 381 | 11.1% | 4.8% | +6.3 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 529 | 6.7% | 11.1% | −4.4 pts |
Recent left knee condition decisions
Granted
Denied
Rules that apply to left knee condition claims
- 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 left knee condition 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 left knee condition 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 (2018–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.