Knee decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded several issues, including service connection for undiagnosed Gulf War illness and PTSD, as well as rating increases for various knee conditions. The Veteran was not provided proper due process prior to the discontinuance of his right knee osteoarthritis disability rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various shoulder, knee, and back conditions due to insufficient evidence. Additional examinations are needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic residual disability of a head injury, to include TBI is denied. The claims for acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, anxiety, and depression), sleep disorder, and left knee disability are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee condition, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support its onset during active service or being related to an in-service injury.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as noncompensable under Diagnostic Code 6100 due to his speech recognition scores and average pure tone thresholds.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back condition, left knee condition, and right ankle condition. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed to address the issues of service connection for various disabilities, as the previous VA examinations did not adequately address certain aspects and the relevant law has changed.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disorders. The claims are now remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for a chronic right knee disorder, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not related to his in-service complaints and injuries.

The Veteran's right and left knee chondromalacia were granted service connection. The claims for right and left ankle disabilities, neck disability, back disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, and acquired psychiatric disability were denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder disability and right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service injury/illness related to these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for a compression fracture T-9 (back condition) as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee condition.

The Board has decided to remand three issues related to service connection for left knee, lumbar spine, and cervical spine disabilities. The reasons are that the VA opinions provided were inadequate due to inaccurate facts or lack of consideration of the lay and medical evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his left knee and bilateral hearing loss disabilities. The TDIU claim was denied as he has been employed full-time.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for various conditions, including right knee disability, ankle disability, degenerative arthritis, and hypertension, was denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claims.

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at 60 percent, but the Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to determine if a higher rating is warranted.,The Veteran’s right knee post-operative total arthroplasty claim is also remanded for further review.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for right knee disorder and left knee disorder, finding no evidence of in-service injury or chronic disability. The Veteran's current knee disorders are not related to his military service.,For the scar status post excision right knee lateral cyst, the Veteran was denied a compensable rating as there is no indication that it causes functional impairment.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected left knee disabilities caused him to become obese and if his right knee disability would not have occurred but for obesity.

The Board has dismissed the claim of service connection for a severe disc condition of the back with nerve condition. The right knee disability, including degenerative arthritis, and other joint disabilities are remanded for further development.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder, low back, and left knee disabilities need further review due to lack of recent medical records.