Knee decisions — 2019

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for various conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea secondary to panic disorder with agoraphobia and hypertension, was granted. The appeals for the remaining issues were either denied or remanded.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 40 percent effective March 21, 2006.,The Veteran's right knee disability remains at a 20 percent rating.

The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen his previously denied claims for service connection for residuals of lumbar spine injury, bilateral leg disability, bilateral knee disability, and acquired psychiatric disability. The claims are all denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for back, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to a lack of competent evidence showing current disability.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left knee disability due to the need for further examination and development. The Veteran contends that his current left knee disability is related to his military service, but no VA examination has been conducted in this regard.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the severity of his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities and the etiology of any diagnosed back disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including shoulder, elbow, foot/toes numbness, wrist, knee, ankle, eye, vertigo, breathing difficulties, and hypertension have all been denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or a nexus to military service.

The claim of service connection for a right knee disorder, to include a total right knee replacement and right knee degenerative arthritis is remanded due to the need for additional medical examination. The Veteran's claim has been reopened based on new evidence.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's service connection claims for a low back disability and bilateral knee disabilities due to new and material evidence. The cases are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for his knee conditions and ankylosing spondylitis with lumbosacral strain due to the need for additional examinations.

The claim to reopen the claim for service connection for a right leg disorder, to include the right knee, is granted. The claim of service connection for a right leg disorder (which would include the right knee) is remanded.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at a 20 percent rating effective August 3, 2015. The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral calcaneal spurs as secondary to her service-connected knee disabilities.

The appeal has been dismissed for the claims of glaucoma, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The remaining claims of arthritis, right knee total knee replacement, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) are being remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's left knee chondromalacia patella is related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for left shoulder, lumbar spine, cervical spine, and right knee disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to obtain an MRI report from January 2017.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis in shoulders, wrists, knees, ankles, and feet as secondary to his service-connected Crohn’s disease with small intestine resection and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, OSA, knee and ankle disabilities, lumbar spine disability, and right side numbness. The Veteran's service records do not show a current hearing loss disability or any of these other conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions.

The Board has remanded several issues for further examination and review, including service connection claims for various conditions and a higher disability rating for left knee strain.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional VA treatment records and a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's right knee disability is related to his service.