Knee decisions — 2019

The Board has decided that service connection is denied for a left knee disorder, right knee disorder, and jaw disorder. The case is REMANDED to obtain medical records and schedule the Veteran for an examination regarding his left ankle sprain.

The Board denied service connection for right and left knee disabilities, congenital pectus excavatum with status post-surgical thoracotomy, and obstructive sleep apnea. The claims are not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has denied service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and a right knee disorder, finding no evidence of in-service injury or chronic condition. The Veteran's current diagnoses are not causally related to his military service.,A separate issue regarding the rating for retropatellar pain syndrome with degenerative joint disease of the left knee has been granted.

The Veteran's cervical spine DJD is granted service connection based on a presumption of service connection due to the PACT Act. The right knee disorder, tendonitis and patellofemoral pain syndrome, is denied as not related to service. Service connection for hypothyroidism is also granted but with an initial 10 percent disability rating.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee degenerative joint disease and chondromalacia, as well as right knee degenerative joint disease and chondromalacia. The conditions are related to the Veteran's active service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings of bilateral hearing loss, patellofemoral pain syndrome with degenerative joint disease of the left knee, and service connection for bilateral pes planus are being remanded due to incomplete records. The TDIU appeal is also deferred until these issues are resolved.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and temporary total ratings have been remanded due to the need for additional evidence or examination. The claims for increased ratings are also being held in abeyance.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, bilateral knee disability, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's left knee instability and degenerative joint disease with status post medial meniscectomy are remanded for further evaluation due to recent testimony indicating an increase in severity since the last examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his bilateral knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, and sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded both the left and right knee disability claims due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's lay statements regarding continuity of symptoms since service are considered, as is other pertinent evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical evidence on file. The Veteran needs a VA examination to determine if his current right knee disability and geographic atrophy, right eye, are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that additional VA examinations are needed to determine the current severity of the Veteran's right knee disability, and that the RO should attempt to obtain his private treatment records.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a right knee condition due to new evidence received since the last denial. The case is remanded for further development and opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's bilateral knee conditions and his service-connected back condition.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various disorders, including right and left arm disorders, a left great toe disorder, a hernia, a right knee disorder, right and left shoulder disorders, sleep apnea (secondary to service-connected psychiatric, lumbar spine, and right lower extremity disabilities), degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and left ear hearing loss. The remand requires obtaining additional medical opinions and records.

The Board has denied service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, bilateral knee, and right shoulder disabilities as well as an acquired psychiatric disability (neurocognitive disorder) due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from attending to the needs of nature, caring for himself, or protecting himself from the hazards of his environment. The Board found that the Veteran met the criterion for aid and attendance benefits due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities have been rated based on their current functional limitations and symptoms. The right knee has been granted a separate rating for semilunar cartilage dislocation from August 27, 2010.,The left knee has also received a separate rating for instability of the knee joint from August 27, 2010.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for back, right hip, right knee and bilateral lower leg disabilities due to the Veteran's sworn testimony about his injuries during parachuting in service. A VA examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine if any currently diagnosed left knee disability had its onset during active duty service or is otherwise etiologically related to service. The Veteran's tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of this specific disability during his military service and it is not shown to be causally related to his military service.