Knee decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee, left knee, left ankle, and right ankle conditions due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions based on his already service-connected pes planus.

The Veteran's lumbar strain and right knee strain were evaluated at a 10% rating. The Board found that the evidence did not meet criteria for higher ratings based on functional loss due to pain, guarding, or localized tenderness.

The Board has determined that an earlier effective date for the increased rating of 50 percent for residuals of left knee injury is not warranted. The Veteran's claim was received on May 15, 2013, and a separate 10 percent rating was granted in February 2014.

The Veteran's right knee replacement was granted a 60% rating from July 31, 2018. Prior to that date, he received a 30% rating from April 1, 2009 to July 30, 2018 and a 100% rating effective February 13, 2008.

The Board denied service connection for left and right knee disabilities, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral knee osteoarthritis are not related to in-service injuries or events.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and a right knee disability are granted. The claim for secondary service connection for left knee disability is remanded.

The Board denied separate compensable evaluations for instability of the right and left knees prior to September 13, 2013, finding no evidence of recurrent subluxation or lateral instability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for degenerative right and left knee disabilities, finding no nexus between his current conditions and military service.

The Veteran's claim for restoration of a 20 percent evaluation for instability of the right knee is granted. The issue of entitlement to a separate evaluation for limitation of extension of the right knee has been referred to the AOJ.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities were granted service connection effective October 16, 2014. He was assigned a noncompensable rating for the right knee disability based on limitation of flexion from that date until October 12, 2017, when he received a 20 percent rating for instability and a 30 percent rating for extension.

The Veteran's previously denied service connection claims for left hip, right hip, and left knee disorders have been reopened. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board granted service connection for a right shoulder disability but denied service connection for a left knee disability. The right shoulder disability is related to an injury sustained during the Veteran's honorable period of active duty service, while the left knee disability is not related to his honorable period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities of right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, left ankle degenerative arthritis, and right ankle degenerative arthritis are being remanded for further evaluation due to a worsening of symptoms since the last VA examination.

The Veteran's cervical spine and left carpal tunnel disabilities were dismissed due to the RO granting them in full. The right ear hearing loss disability, actinic keratosis (skin condition), acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD), right shoulder and knee disabilities, sleep apnea, hernia, GERD, and TBI have been denied. Service connection for hypertension has also been denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right elbow disability. The remaining claims for cervical spine, left great toe, left knee, and PTSD disabilities are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's bilateral hip, knee, and ankle disabilities due to insufficient evidence. The issues include determining appropriate disability ratings for these conditions and evaluating whether a reduction in the rating for left ankle disability from 30% to 10% was proper.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disability and remanded the claims of increased ratings for prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the cases for further examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's right knee and lumbar spine disabilities, as the previous VA examinations did not comply with the requirements in Sharp v. Shulkin.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeals for restoration of ratings for degenerative joint disease and extension of the left knee. As a result, the Board has dismissed these appeals.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as a helpless child of his father due to lack of evidence showing permanent incapacity for self-support prior to age 18, despite his current disabilities and condition.