Knee decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection for erectile dysfunction due to incomplete records and a need for issuance of a statement of the case.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a right shoulder disorder has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal in May 2018.,Service connection for a right hand disorder claimed as secondary to service-connected right index finger status post laceration is denied. The available medical evidence does not demonstrate that the Veteran has, or at any pertinent point during the current appeal period has had, a diagnosis of a right hand disorder.,The claim of entitlement to a compensable disability rating for left knee patellofemoral syndrome is remanded due to missing VA examination reports from May 2017.,The claim of entitlement to a compensable disability rating for migraine headaches is remanded due to missing VA examination reports from May 2017.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left knee osteoarthritis and bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient examination opinions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his current conditions, which are related to his service-connected right knee osteoarthritis and conceded noise exposure during service.

The appeal of entitlement to service connection for headaches is dismissed.,Entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depressive and anxiety disorders, is granted.,Entitlement to service connection for muscle aches, to include as due to an undiagnosed illness, is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for joint pain manifesting in the knees, to include as due to an undiagnosed illness, is remanded.,Entitlement to service connection for a gastrointestinal disability manifesting in diarrhea, to include as due to a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness or an undiagnosed illness, is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his right knee disability was denied as the current 10 percent evaluation adequately reflects the functional impairment of the knee.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disorder and for increased evaluations of her degenerative arthritis with IVDS of the lumbar spine, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and right knee arthritis. The Board also remanded issues regarding bowel or bladder impairment as secondary to the service-connected lumbar spine disability and TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left knee conditions have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion or instability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various knee, hip, and hand disorders have been granted. However, the claim for GERD has been denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and right ear hearing loss disability have been denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its onset.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and persistent depressive disorder with mixed features result in the need for aid and attendance of another person due to memory impairment and the requirement of more than one insulin injection per day.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted, effective October 20, 2015. The new and material evidence issue regarding bilateral hearing loss has been recharacterized to reflect the new evidentiary standard under the AMA. The left knee increased rating appeal is denied as there is no severe instability of the left knee. Service connection for Parkinson’s disease, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, diabetic retinopathy, and peripheral neuropathy are all remanded.

The Veteran's cervical spine, right elbow, left shoulder, right shoulder, left hip, right hip, left knee, and right knee disabilities are all granted as service connected.,The Veteran's tinnitus is also granted as service connected.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing documents and a need to rebuild his claims file. The issues include lumbar, thoracic, cervical, right knee, erectile dysfunction, headaches (claimed as cephalgia), left hand disability, right hand disability, paresthesia of upper extremities, sciatic pain in lower extremities, and an acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board has determined that additional VA treatment records must be obtained and that the Veteran needs to undergo examinations for his claimed conditions due to potential service connection based on herbicide agent exposure.

The Veteran's tinnitus and left shoulder disabilities have not been service-connected.,Service connection for the spine, knee, hip, and depression conditions has also not been established. The effective dates of these determinations are being remanded.

The Board has identified several issues that require further review, including the need for new examinations and consideration of additional medical records. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being REMANDED to allow for these reviews.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions. The Veteran will be provided with additional examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea was reopened and granted.,The reduction in the disability rating from 20 percent to 10 percent for the Veteran’s service-connected left knee partial meniscectomy is granted, effective February 1, 2010. However, the propriety of this reduction remains under review as a separate issue.,Ratings in excess of 10 percent are denied for the Veteran's service-connected left knee DJD, right knee residuals of partial anterior cruciate ligament deficiency and meniscus tear, and right knee DJD.

The Veteran's RLE radiculopathy is now rated at 20 percent effective from February 15, 2018. Other conditions remain unchanged.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for arthritis of the back, knees, and fingers due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service. The claim for traumatic brain injury is remanded as the VA examination was not conducted by a designated specialist.