Knee decisions — 2019

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his left knee sprain was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show limitation of motion or instability to a compensable degree, and thus no higher rating could be assigned.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations. The issues include recurrent skin disabilities, foot disabilities, arthritis of the knees, tinnitus, carpal tunnel syndromes, gout, hypertension, vascular disabilities, pulmonary disability, prostate disability, hernia disability, and left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's left knee degenerative arthritis is granted service connection and an effective date of July 6, 2012.,An unspecified anxiety disorder is granted service connection with an effective date of July 6, 2012.,GERD is granted service connection with an effective date of May 4, 2015.,The Veteran's left wrist disability and right foot and left foot frostbite residuals are remanded for further action regarding earlier effective dates.,Right foot and left foot frostbite residuals with degenerative changes are also remanded for further action regarding earlier effective dates.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims due to inadequate medical opinions and the need for further evidentiary development.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and missing service treatment records. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the cases due to a lack of VA treatment records and the need for a new VA examination to determine the current severity level of the Veteran's knee disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional development due to his refusal of a VA examination and the need to obtain more recent medical records.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination to address the issue of instability in the Veteran's knees, as previous examinations did not include stability testing despite the Veteran's reports.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration. The Veteran's right knee disability, back disability, and OSA are all being reviewed again to determine if they are related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for neck, right knee, and left knee disabilities were denied as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions are related to service.,Service connection was granted for tinnitus but denied for left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's right knee DJD has been established through service connection and is considered for compensation.,New evidence received supports reopening of claims for right wrist condition, DMII (diabetes mellitus type II), and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee arthritis and a left wrist disorder due to inadequate opinions in the December 2012 VA examinations.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, as well as obstructive sleep apnea and unspecified depressive disorder are granted service connection on a secondary basis due to their association with his service-connected left foot disability.,Service connection for the Veteran’s right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, hypertension, and tinnitus is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritic changes, finding that these conditions are due to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee condition, GERD acid reflux, and dermatitis (skin condition) were denied in February 2006. The evidence did not establish a link between the current conditions and military service.,No new or material evidence was received within one year of the denial decisions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were granted, with effective dates set at November 20, 2013. The RO denied earlier effective dates for some of the conditions.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining private treatment records and SSA disability determination records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for DJD of the left knee has been reopened and granted. The Veteran is also granted a rating of 10 percent, but no higher, for arthritis of the right great toe. However, the claims for increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, arthritis of the left acromioclavicular joint, and TDIU are still pending and need further review.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the cervical spine disorder claim, as there was no etiological opinion linking the current condition to military service.,For the lumbar spine disorder, the Board also found no new and material evidence, as the Veteran's statements did not provide any additional information or opinions regarding a link between his military service and the diagnosed condition. The same conclusion was reached for other conditions such as left knee, right knee, left ankle, right ankle, left foot, right foot, cardiomegaly, hernia disorder, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left shoulder disorder and found that the reduction in his rating from 40 percent to 30 percent was improper. The Veteran is entitled to restoration of his previous 40 percent rating.