Knee decisions — 2019

The Veteran's right knee disability, including prior to and after total replacement surgery in August 2016, is being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for additional medical records and an appropriate examination.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including dislocated patella and synovitis, is rated at 10 percent since January 24, 2014. The Veteran also has a separate rating of 20 percent for cartilage impairment from January 14, 2014 to March 11, 2018, and 10 percent thereafter.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disorder as secondary to service-connected left knee and/or left ankle disability, and entitlement to service connection for removal of the right kidney due to additional disability during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee arthritis, PTSD, and depression were denied as new and material evidence was not received to support the claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right knee disability, a back disability, and depression due to lack of verification of her claimed in-service injuries and incomplete medical records.

The Board denied service connection for left foot, right foot, left knee, and right knee disorders due to a lack of current diagnoses.,Service connection was also denied for low back disorder and bilateral shin splints as there is no evidence of chronic conditions related to military service.

The Board has remanded several claims for increased ratings and service connection, including those related to the Veteran's bilateral shoulder, elbow, cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, hip, knee, ankle disorders, sinusitis, TBI, tension headaches, PTSD, and TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development of evidence regarding the severity of the Veteran's left knee degenerative arthritis. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to assess the degree of impairment in terms of range of motion and functional loss.

The Veteran is granted a disability rating of 60 percent for right knee replacement from September 1, 2009. The matter of entitlement to TDIU is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings due to outstanding VA and private treatment records, as well as incomplete examination reports.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for respiratory and sleep disorders, gastroesophageal reflux disease, PTSD, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, left shoulder dyskinesis, eligibility for specially adapted housing assistance, and a special home adaptation grant. The appeals are pending further development.

The Board has restored the disability evaluations for left knee instability, right knee instability, left hip limitation of flexion, left knee limitation of flexion with degenerative joint disease, and right hip limitation of flexion to their effective dates.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and a bilateral knee condition due to insufficient evidence in previous decisions.

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

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left knee subluxation and osteoarthritis due to outdated VA examination records. The Veteran is asked to provide medical records from recent treatment, and a new VA examination will be scheduled.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected low back disability was denied, and the Board found that a higher rating is not warranted based on limitation of motion. The effective date for the grant of a 40 percent evaluation for the low back disability remains April 23, 2015.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his service-connected low back disability was denied because it was not factually ascertainable that the condition had increased in severity prior to August 22, 2015.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examinations and a need for additional information regarding the severity of the Veteran's left knee disability, including during flare-ups.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology and service connection.

The Veteran's right knee condition is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, and the Board denied a higher evaluation based on limited flexion.,For his left inguinal hernia, the Veteran was granted service connection but remains without a compensable rating due to lack of true hernia protrusion.