Knee decisions — 2019

The Veteran's right knee arthritis is granted as service connected, with the Board finding that his current condition likely resulted from an injury sustained during service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to issues with range of motion assessments for his lumbar spine and left knee disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for removed nerve tumor from knee, acquired psychiatric disorders including anxiety and depression, and memory loss due to lack of current disability evidence and failure to appear at a VA examination. The appeal was remanded multiple times but the Veteran did not cooperate with VA examinations.

The Board found that the reduction of the Veteran's VA disability compensation benefits due to his status as an incarcerated felon was proper, and denied the appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral knee and ankle disabilities due to missing medical records and inadequate examinations. The Veteran will need to provide any new evidence, and a new examination is required to determine if his current disabilities are related to his military service.

The Board has directed that the Veteran be provided with new examinations to assess his lumbar degenerative disc disease and right knee instability. The agency of original jurisdiction must now document their consideration as to whether these issues should be referred for extraschedular ratings.

The Board has decided that there is insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran's left knee and ankle issues are due to carelessness, negligence, or other fault on the part of VA in providing medical treatment. The case is being sent back for further examination.

The Board denied service connection for left and right knee disorders, finding that the Veteran's current osteoarthritis is not related to his military service.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities are now service connected. The Board has also determined that the Veteran's back and right hip disorders may be related to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, but further examination is needed to confirm this.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding her bilateral knee disabilities, as well as service connection for left wrist disability. The current rating for the left wrist condition remains denied.

The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for residuals of a right knee injury due to inconsistencies in the evidence and need for further examination.

The Board has denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and right ear hearing loss, as the Veteran does not have these conditions. The claims for a left knee disorder, right knee disorder, and prostate cancer are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for back condition and remanded for further development to determine the etiology of his lumbar spine, cervical spine, bilateral knee disabilities, and asthma.

The Board denied service connection for right hip disorder and granted separate ratings of 10% each for left knee meniscal tear with osteoarthritis, mild instability, and post-operative meniscal tear.

The Board has remanded the case for further action due to issues with service connection and disability ratings for knee conditions, as well as a TDIU issue. The Veteran's back disability is being reviewed for pre-existing condition allegations, while his knee disabilities are being evaluated without assistive devices.

The Veteran's application to reopen her claim for service connection of a left knee disorder was denied because the new evidence did not establish a causal link between her left knee condition and her service-connected right lower leg disability.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for left knee disability and increased rating for left knee disability prior to April 18, 2007 on an extraschedular basis. The Veteran's representative requested additional time to submit evidence but no further evidence was submitted.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and the provision of authorization for private treatment records.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability claim is denied as he does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes.,The Veteran's tinnitus claim is granted, subject to the laws and regulations governing the award of monetary benefits.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection of various disabilities have been withdrawn. The claims for an increased rating for PTSD and entitlement to a TDIU are remanded.