Knee decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran is in need of aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, including considering his service-connected PTSD, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and shell fragment wounds.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examinations and failure to consider all relevant evidence of record.

The Veteran's right knee fracture and DJD have been granted a 20 percent rating, effective March 3, 1994.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and headaches due to lack of a current diagnosis and a lack of nexus, respectively.

The Veteran's right knee, right hip, and left hip disabilities are each rated at 10 percent. The Board denied higher ratings for all three conditions.

The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis and instability have been granted a 30 percent evaluation, effective July 12, 2000.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of her right and left knee disabilities, as well as her claim for service connection for a disability of her feet. Additionally, the TDIU claim is also being remanded due to inextricably intertwined issues with the other claims.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including patellofemoral syndrome and medial meniscectomy, is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for low back and left knee disabilities due to conflicting medical opinions and the need for additional development.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his previously denied claim for service connection of bilateral hearing loss was granted. The issue of a compensable disability rating for the left knee scar, post-cyst removal, is still pending and remains denied. The Veteran's claim to reopen his previously denied claim for service connection of bilateral hearing loss has been successful.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the receipt of additional VA treatment records and examination reports. The AOJ will consider all evidence in the first instance before readjudicating the claims.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed for the right knee disability claim, as there are missing private medical records from the Veteran's orthopedic surgeons.

The Board has determined that the evidence is not in favor of service connection for a back disability, right knee disability, bilateral eye condition, bilateral hearing loss disability, or tinnitus.,VA will need to obtain additional medical records and possibly conduct further examinations to determine if there are any connections between the appellant's current disabilities and his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disorder, finding that the Veteran's current condition was not incurred in or related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hip, knee, and thigh disorders due to incomplete compliance with previous remand instructions regarding obtaining his service records. The AOJ is instructed to attempt to obtain any outstanding treatment records from military hospitals in Korea and VA facilities.

The Veteran's right knee disability, which was previously characterized as patellofemoral syndrome, has been recharacterized after a partial meniscectomy. The claim for an increased rating is denied because the flexion of the right knee does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the Veteran's right knee condition. The effective dates of service connection have been granted.

The Board has granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis as of February 8, 2007 due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities making it impossible for him to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his employment history and medical evidence did not support a conclusion that he was unemployable.

The claim for a higher rating for the service-connected left knee replacement with scars is denied as it cannot be rated higher than 60 percent. The claim for SMC based on loss of use of the left foot is also denied.