Knee decisions — 2019

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's right knee condition. The examiner needs to clarify if the current condition is related to his service, including in-service injuries and pain.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for tendonitis has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.,All other claims have been remanded due to the need for additional evidence and/or a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, right shoulder disorder, and thoracic strain has been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.,The Board found that there is no current evidence of a diagnosed condition for any of these issues.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral knee disability, lumbar spine disability, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and an acquired psychiatric condition.,However, the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for psychosis or mental illness for the purpose of establishing eligibility for treatment under 38 U.S.C. § 1702 is dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection for his acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board denied a higher rating for the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, finding that they do not warrant ratings in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a right knee condition due to inadequate examination and need for further development.

The Veteran's hypertension requires continuous medication for control and is currently rated at 10 percent.,The Veteran has a painful scar associated with her cholecystectomy, status post cholelithiasis, which is rated at 10 percent. The Veteran seeks an initial rating higher than 10 percent for this condition.,The Veteran's right knee disability requires additional development as the most recent VA examination does not comply with the Court’s holding in Sharp v. Shulkin.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to unresolved issues regarding his TBI, OSA, surgically-repaired hernia, right knee disorder, and erectile dysfunction. The VA is instructed to obtain treatment records, schedule examinations, and determine the nature and extent of residuals from in-service TBIs, etiology of sleep apnea, relationship between current abdominal hernia and service, potential for right knee disability related to service, and whether erectile dysfunction is related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and a need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for a left knee disorder due to insufficient evidence and an inadequate VA examination. The Veteran's wife corroborates his reports of knee injuries during active duty, but there are no definitive records linking the current condition to service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claims for right and left knee arthritis should be remanded due to incomplete service treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral knee disability is related to his active duty service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The remaining issues of service connection for right knee disability and evaluation of service-connected right shoulder strain are remanded due to need for additional development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right shoulder, right knee, and low back conditions due to lack of consideration of parachute jumps in service and secondary service connection issues. The case will be returned to the Board after further examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left wrist ganglion cyst and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee strain are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral knee condition and whether it was aggravated by service. The Veteran is required to undergo a VA examination to address these issues.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for asthma was reopened and granted. Service connection for a right knee disability, to include a scar, was denied.

The Board dismissed the appeal as to service connection for melanoma, left knee disability, and sinus disability due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development on multiple issues, including service connection claims and evaluations for various disabilities. The initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss prior to October 11, 2016 has been denied, as well as an evaluation in excess of 10 percent from that date onwards. Service connection for several disabilities is also denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various hand, knee, ankle, and lower back disabilities due to incomplete development of records. The AOJ is instructed to obtain any outstanding VA treatment records related to the Veteran's claimed conditions and attempt to identify and obtain private treatment records.