Knee decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current back, neck, and bilateral knee disabilities and his active duty service.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Lakeland Regional Medical Center on November 1, 2015. The Board found that the treatment was not an emergency and VA facilities were feasibly available.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disorder and low back disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims. The Board also noted that further examination is needed to address whether the Veteran’s low back disorder was aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's residuals of a right hip gunshot wound are rated at 20 percent, but no higher. The Veteran's left knee disability is not rated above 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine, left hip, left knee, right foot, and left foot osteoarthritis were not incurred during service or caused by his service-connected right ankle disability. The conditions are considered to be due to non-service-connected risk factors such as age and obesity.,As a result, the Veteran is not entitled to service connection for any of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee and left knee (post-arthroplasty) based on continuity of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable, and the Board granted his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to a lack of VA treatment records, including those from private care providers. The Veteran is asked to submit or authorize VA to obtain these records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric condition and for increased disability ratings for his right knee, instability of the right knee, and left ankle conditions. The decision also remanded the issues regarding the Veteran's right knee and left ankle conditions for further examination.

The Veteran's left knee disorder was rated at 10 percent prior to March 12, 2020 and increased to 20 percent thereafter.,The Veteran is not entitled to a disability rating in excess of the assigned ratings.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his left knee injury, currently rated at 20 percent, is denied. The issue of service connection for tinea (diagnosed as dermatitis bilateral lower extremities and tinea cruris), to include as secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder, is remanded.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for cervical spine disability, lumbosacral spine disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran contends that her current disabilities are related to her in-service injuries or a service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination records, but the preponderance of evidence is against granting higher ratings for the Veteran's cervical spine, knee, and ankle conditions.

The Board denied service connection for right and left knee disabilities, finding no evidence of such conditions during or immediately after service. The Veteran's current symptoms were first noted two and a half years post-service.,For his migraines, the Veteran was granted service connection but not with a compensable rating as his attacks did not meet the criteria for any level of disability under DC 8100.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than August 4, 2017 for the grant of service connection for right hip flexor strain with limitation of extension and right elbow medial epicondylitis are denied.

The Board has denied service connection for cervical spine, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any presumptive exposure.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate VA opinions and inconsistent credibility determinations regarding the Veteran's lay statements of continuity of symptoms. The claims are now pending for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder degenerative joint disease, left and right knee degenerative arthritis, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since June 25, 2019. The Board granted the TDIU claim based on the benefit-of-the-doubt doctrine.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and medical opinions to determine if service connection can be established for back, right knee, left knee, and neck conditions.