Knee decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims for further medical etiology opinions to determine if the Veteran's current right and left knee disabilities are related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates have been dismissed as freestanding claims, which are barred by law.,No specific rating or effective date has been assigned in this decision.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed for the veteran's claims of service connection for a left knee condition and secondary service connection for a back condition. The claims are being remanded to obtain medical records and provide an opinion on the etiology of the conditions.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to inadequate VA opinions and a need to determine if the Veteran's symptoms constitute an undiagnosed illness or MUCMI. The Veteran also raised a secondary service connection theory for his esophageal condition.

The Board denied service connection for psychiatric disabilities other than PTSD, PTSD, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, neck disability, and both knee disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.,Service connection was not granted as the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of any of these conditions at the time of his claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's right knee disability and its relationship to his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left shoulder, left knee, right knee, left hip, right hip, and cervical spine disabilities due to additional development being necessary.,Service connection is denied for GERD as there is no evidence of a current disability related to active service.

The Veteran's tinnitus and GERD are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's left knee disability is remanded for further examination to determine if it is related to in-service events.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral knee disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between her current condition and military service.

The Board denied service connection for a lower back disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not related to his military service. Service connection was also denied for peripheral vascular disease as secondary to a lower back disorder due to lack of evidence linking it to service.,Service connection for osteoarthritis of the left knee was granted based on medical records showing the Veteran had symptoms since his in-service injury.

The Board denied service connection for left and right knee disabilities, finding no evidence of a nexus between the current disabilities and service.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased disability ratings for left and right total knee replacements due to inadequate examination findings, specifically regarding range of motion during flare-ups.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right knee disorder. Additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing an addendum opinion, is required.

The Veteran's right knee disability, which included bursitis and synovitis, was found to be no more than 30 percent disabling. The Board denied the claim for a higher rating as well as the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disability is being remanded due to an error in the mailing address provided by his representative. The RO needs to clarify and correct the addresses before making a decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate consideration of relevant lay evidence and VA examination opinions. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including those for back pain, right hip pain, left knee lateral meniscal tear, acquired psychiatric disorder, left hip disorder, and right knee disorder. The issues include determining whether new and material evidence was obtained to reopen these claims, as well as addressing the severity of the Veteran's service-connected foot disabilities and evaluating his acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need for additional development, including obtaining his VA treatment records and conducting a new examination if necessary. The issues include determining an appropriate rating for his lumbar spine disability with associated radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, deciding on the propriety of the assigned rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and addressing service connection for bilateral knee disorders.

The Board vacated part of its April 8, 2020 decision that denied a higher rating for osteoarthritis of the left knee prior to September 3, 2013, and from that date. The appeal was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his legacy appeal.

The Veteran's right knee extension limitation is now rated at 20 percent effective September 4, 2014. His current rating for right knee instability remains at 30 percent.