Knee decisions — 2019

The Board denied service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee, sarcoidosis, lung damage/bronchitis, congestive heart failure, and cirrhosis of the liver. The Veteran's current conditions were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral shoulder disorder(s), bilateral knee disorder(s), and PTSD due to missing STRs, particularly those from Norfolk Naval Air Station and Mayport Branch NAS/Mayport Naval Base. The Veteran's in-service stressor related to witnessing a friend's suicide is also being investigated.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability is denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease, and the current condition is not related to service.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine, low back, right knee, and left knee disorders due to the lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.,Service connection was also denied for a disability manifested as numbness and tingling of the right hand secondary to a service-connected bicipital tendon tear and labral tear of the right acromioclavicular joint.

The Board denied service connection for right thigh, right hip, left knee, and right knee disabilities. The claim for bilateral foot disability (to include pes planus) is remanded to obtain a VA examination.,The Board also denied service connection for abdominal disability, to include abdominal scars. An addendum opinion from the July 2017 VA examiner is needed to determine if the cause of the Veteran's 1970 laparotomy and appendectomy (resulting in an abdominal scar) was related to his active service.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than March 25, 2014, and increased ratings for his left shoulder disorder were denied. His service connection claims for right knee, left knee, right foot, and left foot disorders are pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the service-connected left ankle disability caused obesity, which in turn may have contributed to the Veteran's current left knee arthritis.

The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has remanded for a new examination to determine if a higher rating is warranted. The issue of TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is also being remanded as it may be impacted by the outcome of the increased rating claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, and bilateral pes planus (flat feet) as there was no evidence of a current disability or a link to active service.

Back, right knee and lower leg, left knee and lower leg conditions granted.,Right wrist condition denied.,Bilateral hearing loss not met criteria for service connection.,Service connection granted for right shoulder and arm, left shoulder and arm, left wrist condition, and migraine headaches.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left shoulder, left knee, and right knee disorders due to new evidence received since the last final denial. The Veteran's conditions are related to active duty service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, lower back, upper back, and shoulder disabilities due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran is not presumed to have hepatitis C or an eye disability related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional evidence, including VA examination and service connection for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome. The TDIU claim will be reconsidered in light of these developments.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations. Additional development is needed including obtaining treatment records and scheduling new VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability of the left upper extremity was reopened and granted.,Other claims were remanded due to lack of complete application forms.,Service connection was restored for stress headaches, hypertension, valvular heart disease (mitral valve prolapse), iron deficiency anemia, allergic rhinitis, right shoulder sprain/strain, left shoulder sprain/strain, neck sprain and strain, right knee sprain/strain, left knee sprain/strain, right ankle sprain, right hallux valgus, left eye cortical cataract, acne, atrophic vaginitis, and OSA with CPAP.,The Veteran's service connection for fusion of the right fourth finger distal interphalangeal joint was denied as clearly erroneous.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability, including whether it was aggravated during service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and further evaluation is needed.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disability, finding that the Veteran's current knee disability is not related to his service-connected calluses and is more likely caused by his non-service-connected flat feet.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of service connection for right shoulder, back, left knee, and right knee disabilities need to be reconsidered due to additional relevant records not being considered in previous decisions.

The Board has granted a rating of 60 percent for the Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the right knee, status post right knee total replacement. The claim for an increased rating for the left knee disability is denied.