Knee decisions — 2020

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, and peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity. The decision found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for left knee disability, and concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the current disabilities and service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to non-compliance with previous remand directives, particularly regarding verification of his periods of active service, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right knee osteoarthritis, right shoulder condition, and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease due to lack of available service records. The decision on the other issues remains pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial disability ratings, as well as his TDIU claim prior to September 22, 2014. The VA is required to obtain updated treatment records, request tax returns, and schedule an examination for the left knee conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran’s assertions of in-service injury or exposure, leading to current disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions. The Board is seeking more information on the etiology of his skin condition, sinus issues, cervical spine disability, shoulder disabilities, hip disabilities, knee disabilities, and ankle disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's skin condition. The left knee condition claim is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination findings and requests for an additional VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for cold injury residuals of the bilateral hands, left knee disability, right knee disability, and right shoulder disability. The decision also remanded the issues of service connection for a left shoulder disability.

The Veteran's claim for VR&E services, including a doctoral degree in osteopathic medicine, is remanded due to the need for a new vocational rehabilitation evaluation considering his current symptomatology and employment capabilities.

The Veteran's claim for increased rating of left knee disability prior to February 7, 2014 was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for his service-connected heart condition was denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.,Service connection for gout, left shoulder disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, and genitourinary system disability were all denied due to lack of evidence supporting these claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient notification for a VA examination regarding the Veteran's left knee disability. The Veteran is required to be provided another opportunity for an examination.

The Veteran's bilateral knee and upper extremity disorders, as well as his respiratory disorder (to include bronchitis), are on appeal. The Board has ordered additional VA examinations to determine the etiology of these conditions based on service connection theories including direct service connection, chronic undiagnosed illnesses, and medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a right knee disability was dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back, asthma, right knee, and neck conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the current disabilities and active duty service.,Service connection was not granted because the medical records do not show any in-service injury or disease that could be linked to the current conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including major depressive disorder and physical conditions like lumbar sprain, left hip bursitis, tinnitus, and right knee condition, have rendered her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted TDIU for the entire period on appeal.

The Veteran's left knee condition is rated at 20 percent prior to November 26, 2019 and 10 percent thereafter. The right knee condition is rated at 10 percent from November 26, 2019 onwards.

The Veteran's claims for initial evaluations of his service-connected disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and development.

The Veteran's left and right knee disabilities have been rated at 10 percent prior to June 22, 2019, and 40 percent thereafter. The Board found that the evidence did not meet criteria for higher ratings based on recurrent subluxation or lateral instability, flexion limited to 30 degrees, extension limited to 15 degrees, or ankylosis.