Knee decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional medical opinions. The issues include right knee condition, bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and lumbar spine condition.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for orthopedic and psychiatric examinations to assess the current severity of the Veteran's left knee disability and PTSD. The readjudication should consider whether a temporary total rating is required following any surgery and address potential separate compensable ratings.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient development and need for additional medical opinions. The Veteran's left knee disorder is being reviewed again as part of this process.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for right and left knee disabilities, as well as an initial compensable rating for hypertension due to a lack of proper scheduling of VA examinations. The Veteran is entitled to a hearing before a Decision Review Officer.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee DJD as the evidence did not show a chronic disability in service or within presumptive periods.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for left hip disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus based on evidence showing these conditions were first manifested prior to the date of the Veteran's claims.

The Veteran is granted clothing allowances for 2018 due to his service-connected knee disabilities causing wear and tear on his pants.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder should be remanded due to new evidence submitted after the previous denial in 2011. The Veteran claims his current left knee disorder is aggravated by active duty service, but VA needs to conduct further examination and provide an opinion on this issue.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee and ankle disorders, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and Depression) due to inadequate examination opinions and failure to account for the Veteran's statements regarding symptom onset.

The Veteran's right knee replacement, kidney disability, and diabetes mellitus have been granted increased ratings. The right knee is rated at 60 percent, the kidney disability at 80 percent, and the diabetes at 20 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, tinnitus, COPD, and hypertension. Service connection was denied for atrial fibrillation.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral foot disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, and sleep apnea due to potential service connection issues.

The Veteran's appeals regarding his right eye lateral rectus restriction and left knee chondromalacia have been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's total right knee arthroplasty is granted a 60 percent rating prior to September 1, 2018. A separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability is also granted.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,Service connection for left shoulder condition is denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to the current condition.,Service connection for right knee strain (right knee condition) is denied due to lack of continuity of symptoms since service.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea claimed as secondary to PTSD is granted.

The claim for service connection for a left knee disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD, bipolar I disorder, personality disorder) is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, to include as secondary to his service-connected right knee degenerative arthritis. The case is being returned to the AOJ for an addendum opinion from the August 2017 VA examiner.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection and petitions to reopen his previously denied claims require additional development, including obtaining outstanding records from VA treatment facilities, Army hospitals, workers' compensation claims, and Social Security Administration. The AOJ must also schedule a VA examination to evaluate the Veteran's right shoulder disability.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection and rating issues related to head injuries, knee conditions, tinnitus, and hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for a right arm condition is denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease, and the current disability is not related to service.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine is denied because the earliest communication prior to November 6, 2014 did not constitute a claim for this condition.,Service connection for bilateral feet disability and bilateral degenerative joint disease/arthritis of the knees secondary to service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine is remanded due to inadequate etiology opinions in the June 2015 VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for service-connected lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine is remanded as the January 2015 VA Back Conditions Disability Benefits Questionnaire did not provide information on additional limitation of motion due to flare-ups or repeated use over time.,The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disability is remanded.