Knee decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic lumbar spine, right and left knee disabilities, and bilateral wrist carpal tunnel syndrome have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during or prior to the appeal period.,Service connection has also been granted for tinnitus.

The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left knee disability, right knee disability, right hip disability, low back disability, and hypertension are all remanded due to the need for additional development.

Effective July 28, 2014, the Veteran was granted a 20 percent evaluation for his right knee disorder and a 10 percent evaluation for his left knee disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development regarding his right knee disability, including entitlement to increased ratings and service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequate development and examination. The issues of entitlement to compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right knee disability, and left knee disability are now before the Board.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including chondromalacia patella and degenerative arthritis, was found to not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to February 11, 2020. Effective February 11, 2020, he is granted a separate compensable evaluation of 20 percent for dislocated right knee semilunar cartilage.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee, right wrist, left wrist, and acquired psychiatric disorders due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding his service connection claim for a back disorder, as well as an evaluation of his right knee degenerative arthritis. The current uniform 30 percent evaluation for the right knee condition remains unchanged.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral knee disorder and psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) due to non-compliance with prior remand directives, specifically regarding the adequacy of VA medical opinions.

The Veteran's thoracic spine, right knee, left hip, and right hip degenerative arthritis are all found to be aggravated by his service-connected left knee, left peroneal nerve, and bilateral foot disabilities. A 20 percent rating is granted for the residuals of left knee injury with recurrent dislocation from December 18, 2017.

The Board has remanded the claims for new VA examinations to assess the current severity of the Veteran's knee disabilities due to his failure to report for scheduled examinations. The Veteran is advised that failure to report will result in denial of his claim.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right foot and knee disabilities due to insufficient competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The Veteran is required to undergo a VA examination to determine if his current bilateral feet and knees disabilities are related to his service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate opinions in previous VA examinations. The Veteran's right shoulder disability is denied as there is no nexus between his current pain and an in-service injury, while the left knee disability remains under consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's osteoarthritis of the right knee, status post total knee arthroplasty, is not service-connected as it was not shown to be incurred or aggravated during his active duty service and there is no evidence linking it to a service-connected disability.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding increased ratings for left knee disability, left knee scars, right shoulder disability, and right shoulder scar. The Board has dismissed these claims.

The Board has determined that new evidence received since the June 2013 rating decision is sufficient to readjudicate claims for service connection for right and left knee osteoarthritis, as well as hypertension. The Veteran's bilateral knee conditions are secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability and bilateral foot disabilities.

The Veteran's right knee disability increased rating claim has been previously adjudicated and denied. The appeal is dismissed as the VA Form 10182, submitted in September 2019, is not valid for initiating an appeal under the AMA framework.

The Board has determined that the issues of service connection for back pain, hemorrhoids, right knee degenerative arthritis, and left knee degenerative arthritis should be remanded due to procedural errors in obtaining service treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for pes planus, bilateral knee disability, back disability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to a lack of current diagnoses at any point during or prior to the appeal period.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examinations and missing VA treatment records. The Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptoms since separation from service are also considered.