Knee decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding service connection. The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her service-connected bilateral knee disabilities require additional examination and development due to deficiencies in the July 2012 VA examination report. The AOJ is instructed to schedule a new VA examination, associate any outstanding records with the file, give the Veteran an opportunity to identify pertinent evidence, and then readjudicate the claims.

The Veteran's left knee disability was granted a rating of 30 percent effective November 21, 2018. The claim for increased rating is denied prior to that date.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to insufficient medical opinions and further development is needed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee condition, left knee condition, and degenerative arthritis of the spine with lumbar spondylosis have been granted.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss has been granted. The issue of service connection for right ear hearing loss is still pending and will be remanded.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating for service-connected left knee injuries, so the case is dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee patella chondromalacia and chondrocalcinosis, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his military service.

The Veteran's initial increased ratings for arthritis of the left and right knees, as well as his hiatal hernia, were denied. The issues related to these conditions are being remanded for further development.

The Board has denied service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome in both upper extremities and bilateral knee disorders, finding no current diagnoses or causal links to service.

The Board has granted service connection for MRSA of the left knee as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's right knee disability has been evaluated at a non-compensable (10%) rating since September 2, 2010. The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the condition.

The Veteran's right knee disability was denied for increased ratings, with the exception of a temporary 10 percent rating from August 23, 2017 to March 3, 2020.

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has determined that an increased rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for his right knee ACL tear prior to October 15, 2019 and a rating in excess of 10 percent thereafter were denied. Service connection for a lower back disorder secondary to the service-connected right knee ACL tear was also denied.

The Veteran's left foot tailor's bunion was granted service connection. The remaining issues of right hip, left hip, right knee, and left knee conditions are remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied a separate compensable evaluation for the current 10 percent rating for status post-injury to both knees, finding that there is no separate compensable knee impairment and range of motion has not been limited in either knee.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including dysthymic disorder, lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease, left and right hip strains, left and right knee strains, and corneal scar of the right eye, are found to be sufficient for a TDIU rating on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has granted the Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for left knee bruise residuals and has also granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis. The decision is based on the Veteran's competent and credible lay evidence of continuous symptoms since an in-service injury.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current bilateral knee disability and his military service.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities were granted a 10% rating each, effective May 2, 2016. The disability is rated based on painful motion.