Knee decisions — 2020

The Board has granted separate 10 percent disability ratings for traumatic arthritis of the left knee for limitation of flexion and extension, as well as for traumatic arthritis of the right knee for limitation of flexion. The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are rated based on their impact on range of motion.

The Board has denied service connection for right and left knee disabilities, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease, and that any current knee conditions are unrelated to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of a bilateral knee disability, low back disorder, and bilateral leg condition. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding these issues.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings were denied. Service connection was granted for bilateral hip, knee, and ankle disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to inadequate examination reports and failure to comply with prior remand instructions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional examinations and opinions to determine if his current disabilities are related to service or any other relevant factors.

The Veteran's claim for sleep apnea is reopened, and the Board has remanded his claims for PTSD with TBI, right knee internal derangement, and degenerative disc disease. A VA examination will be required to determine the current severity of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development, including obtaining a VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities and determining if he is eligible for TDIU benefits.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings have been dismissed as the appellant has withdrawn all remaining issues associated with this appeal.

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, bilateral knee disability, and shin splints for additional development. The Veteran's service connection claims are not granted as there is no current diagnosis or evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has found that additional development is necessary to obtain VA treatment records from Martinsburg VAMC for the period from May 2016 to present. The claims are being remanded for this purpose.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen her claim for service connection for right knee disorder and remanded other issues related to GERD, lower gastrointestinal disorder, and peripheral vestibular disorder. The claims are now pending further examination and opinion.

The Board denied service connection for left shoulder disorder, right knee strain, right knee Osgood-Schlatter disease, right hamstring disorder, left hamstring disorder, and low back disorder. The Veteran's current diagnoses were not found.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations in the previous rating decisions. The Board requires a new examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected left knee disabilities, including pain, weakness, fatigability, or incoordination.

The Board has remanded the claims for further review due to new evidence and examinations being added to the record.

The Board has granted higher ratings for the Veteran's right leg and left leg disabilities, with a rating of 20 percent prior to July 25, 2019, and 30 percent since then. The Veteran's left knee patellar tendonitis remains at its current 20% rating.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities were granted initial noncompensable ratings prior to July 15, 2019. Ratings of 10% each were assigned for the period from July 15, 2019 onwards.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left knee tricompartmental degenerative joint disease was denied. The Board found that the disability did not exceed a noncompensable (0%) evaluation, as it was consistent with the pre-aggravation extent of disability. For TDIU, the criteria were met due to multiple service-connected disabilities rendering him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating of 20 percent for instability of the right knee prior to November 19, 2013 was granted. The claim for a higher rating for residuals of a right knee injury is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities have been granted initial compensable ratings of 10 percent each, effective from the date of the June 2013 rating decision.