Knee decisions — 2020

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and remanded the issues regarding his right and left knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's appeals for additional development due to missing documents within the claims file, including additional evidentiary submissions or statements by the Veteran. The matter must be remanded in order to ensure compliance with the Board’s remand instructions.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left knee disorders, finding that the Veteran's chronic bilateral knee pain results in functional impairment of earning capacity. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of current disability meeting VA standards.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of records and incomplete VA examinations. The Veteran's claims for various conditions are being returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder, hip, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence. Additional development is needed to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal regarding service connection for a right knee disorder, and the Board dismissed the case as a result.

The Veteran's appeal for increased evaluations of his radiculopathy, left lower extremity and knee degenerative arthritis was dismissed. The issues of increased evaluations for left knee and right knee degenerative arthritis are remanded.

The Board denied an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for service-connected left knee degenerative arthritis, finding that the Veteran's condition has been manifested by pain on motion and limited flexion.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for increased disability ratings for left knee arthritis and left knee meniscectomy (now rated as status post left knee arthroplasty) due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's allergy disorder manifested by chronic cough, hypertension, and bilateral knee disability (osteoarthritis) are all granted service connection. Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities is remanded.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for right knee, left knee, and right shoulder disabilities as the appellant and his representative have withdrawn their claims.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on several knee and lumbar spine disabilities have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings for bilateral knee conditions are being remanded due to procedural issues.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability is granted. The claims for upper back and neck, bilateral cubital tunnel syndrome, arthritis, hearing loss, and tinnitus are denied.

The Veteran's left knee disability is granted with a separate rating for instability and extension, and he is granted TDIU based on his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbar spine and osteoarthritis of the right knee with patellofemoral pain syndrome, Osgood-Schlatter’s disease and genu recurvatum.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 30 percent for right knee traumatic arthritis, status post total knee replacement prior to July 5, 2007 and from July 5, 2007 including a period of temporary total evaluation. The VA must review the additional evidence received since the October 2017 Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for hearing loss in the left ear has been denied. The case is remanded due to issues with his left and right knee conditions.,Issues regarding service connection for a left knee condition and a right knee condition have also been remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a left knee injury, including arthritis and total joint replacement. The case will be returned for further development, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to assess the Veteran's functional impairment from his service-connected disabilities and determine if he is unemployable due to these conditions. The examiner must consider all of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, except for left knee degenerative arthritis, during the period from May 15, 2018 to July 1, 2019.