Knee decisions — 2020

The Board has determined that further development is necessary before a decision can be made regarding the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his right knee disability and TDIU. The Veteran was last provided with a VA examination in January 2018, over two and half years ago, and he reported that his condition has worsened since then. A new VA examination is required to determine the current nature and severity of his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate VA examinations and incomplete medical records.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities are rated at 10 percent each, based on limitation of motion. The appeal is denied as the disability does not meet criteria for higher ratings.

The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee disability, finding that it had its onset in active service and resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the case due to an error in the February 2013 VA examiner's report, which inaccurately described the Veteran’s in-service left knee diagnosis as retropatellar pain syndrome. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his current left knee disability (diagnosed as left TKR).

The Veteran's left knee gouty osteoarthritis was granted a rating of 20 percent beginning December 21, 2018. His right knee gouty osteoarthritis and limitation of extension associated with his left knee were not rated higher.

The Veteran's right knee disability is not rated higher than 10% for the period from June 1, 2016 to September 17, 2019 due to limitation of extension.,The Veteran's right knee instability is not rated higher than 10% as of September 18, 2019.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for various conditions and a temporary total disability rating. The main issue is that further medical examinations are needed due to the passage of time since previous evaluations.

The Board has found that additional evidence is needed to determine the validity of the Veteran's claims for a temporary total evaluation due to right knee chondromalacia and service connection for PTSD. The case is being remanded for further review.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed due to inadequate VA examinations, and the Veteran's appeal for higher initial ratings on his service-connected right knee disabilities remains pending.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU is denied as her last day of employment was May 16, 2007. The earliest possible date for the payment of TDIU is May 17, 2007.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for costochondritis, claimed as rib injury; chondromalacia patella, left knee; right knee condition; and degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine were denied due to lack of new and material evidence.,Service connection was not granted for mild meibomian gland dysfunction, left eye.

The Veteran's disability rating for residuals, fracture, left knee, with degenerative joint disease was restored from 30% to 40% effective November 1, 2017.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is denied as he has been consistently engaged in substantially gainful employment throughout the relevant period on appeal.

The Board has denied service connection for back, right hip, right knee, and right ankle disabilities as well as a psychiatric disability (including PTSD and anxiety disorder) due to the Veteran's failure to attend scheduled VA examinations.

Your right knee disability has been granted service connection, so the appeal is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination as they were not fully addressed in previous decisions.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including a retrospective opinion regarding functional loss of the Veteran's back and knees during earlier periods of the appeal. The issues are inextricably intertwined with the TDIU claim.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for migraine headaches, but remanded the claims for increased ratings of PTSD, right knee meniscal tear, and left knee patellofemoral syndrome.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for depression, right knee condition, and left hip condition as secondary to service-connected disabilities. However, these claims are being remanded due to the need for further development and consideration.