Knee decisions — 2019

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right knee, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service injury. However, the Veteran does not require regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a new opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for back, bilateral pes planus, skin, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence or conflicting opinions.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for PTSD, right patellofemoral pain syndrome (claimed as right knee injury), and left patellofemoral pain syndrome (claimed as left knee injury).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and PTSD, have prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 8, 2011.

The Board dismissed all claims due to the lack of an adequate substantive appeal for each issue.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and degenerative conditions in multiple joints, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the combined effect of these disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for a left leg disability other than the left knee was denied. The appeal to reopen his PTSD claim was granted, and he is now receiving a 70% rating effective June 24, 2016.

The Veteran did not file a timely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) with the October 2006 denial of reopening his previously denied claim for bilateral knee condition, so the appeal is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for chronic right and left knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence in the record, including a lack of VA medical opinions and potential missing service treatment records. The Veteran's claim will be further developed with additional examinations and possibly new evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for back disability, bilateral knee disability, bilateral neurological disability of the lower extremities, and left hip disability due to insufficient medical opinions and potential outstanding VA treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of May 20, 1993.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected sleep apnea. The Board finds that the evidence of record is insufficient to address the Veteran’s contention that his sleep apnea warrants higher than a 50 percent rating.

The Board denied increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the left and right knees, finding that the Veteran's symptoms did not warrant a higher rating based on limitation of motion or instability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for left and right knee patellofemoral syndrome due to a lack of recent VA treatment records and the need for updated examination findings.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right shoulder arthritis and impingement syndrome, left shoulder glenohumeral arthritis, lower back degenerative joint disease, and anxiety disorder, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his left knee and service connection for secondary disorders have been remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a back disability, bilateral ankle disability, and right knee disability. The VA examinations and treatment records do not support a finding that any current disabilities are related to military service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for his right and left shoulder strains, as well as his right and left knee strains, were denied. The Board found that the current disability ratings of 20% for shoulders and 10% for knees did not meet or approximate the criteria for higher ratings based on limitation of motion. For the period from October 1, 2014 to April 28, 2017, a TDIU was granted but has since been rendered moot due to the Veteran's current high disability rating.