Knee decisions — 2020

The Board denied service connection for psychiatric disorder, hearing loss, tinnitus, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder as there was no evidence of onset or causation during active service.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a left knee disorder, increased rating for CAD prior to September 13, 2018 and greater than 60 percent thereafter, and TDIU due to service-connected disability prior to September 13, 2018. The Veteran's claims are remanded for additional development including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has decided that a remand is necessary to obtain an additional VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's right knee disability.

The Veteran's petitions to reopen the claims of service connection for a vision disorder, body rash, and back disorder have been dismissed. The petition to reopen the claim of service connection for left hand disorder has been granted.,The petition to reopen the claim of service connection for left knee disorder has been granted. The petition to reopen the claim of service connection for left foot disorder has been granted. The petition to reopen the claim of service connection for left ear hearing loss has been granted. The petition to reopen the claim of service connection for PFB has been granted.,The Veteran's petitions to reopen the claims of service connection for prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction have been remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, as no VA examiner has provided an opinion regarding the relationship of any current disorders to service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection of left knee and cervical spine conditions have been dismissed. The Board has remanded the issues regarding right knee and right thigh conditions.

The Veteran's application to reopen a claim for service connection of a right shoulder disorder is granted. The Board also remanded the claims for increased rating for left hip disability, and service connection for right shoulder and left lower extremity disorders.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The effective dates of certain decisions were also denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient consideration of continuity of symptomatology from service to present time and failure to consider a stressor event. The Veteran will be afforded VA examinations to address his remaining claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right knee arthritis due to insufficient evidence in the record regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for right and left knee conditions, hypertension, and herpes zoster virus (shingles) are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.,The Veteran is presumed to have been exposed to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam. His testimony about his in-service helicopter crash injury is considered material evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right foot, left foot, vascular, hip, and knee disabilities as well as his acquired psychiatric disorder, all of which are found to be proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected orthopedic injuries.

The claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for left knee replacement is denied. The claim for TDIU is also denied as the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for shin splints and denied increased ratings for knee, ankle, and foot osteoarthritis. The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities were rated under Diagnostic Code 5260 (limitation of flexion) with a maximum rating of 10 percent each. Separate 10 percent ratings were granted for right and left knee instability. Separate 30 percent ratings were granted for right and left foot osteoarthritis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected conditions, including right lower extremity deep venous thrombosis, left shoulder tendonitis, left knee patellar tendonitis, right knee degenerative joint disease with Baker's cyst, and lumbar degenerative disc disease. The evidence did not support granting any higher ratings than the current 20 percent for these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and TDIU as moot due to the Veteran's current 100% rating.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee, right ankle, and left ankle disorders, finding that these conditions had their onset during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to obtain substantially gainful employment during the periods of TDIU claims from July 29, 2013 to June 3, 2014, and from July 31, 2015 to October 18, 2016. From December 1, 2016 to March 1, 2017, the Veteran's combined disability rating was 90 percent, which rendered his TDIU claim moot due to the assignment of a 100 percent schedular rating.

The Veteran's right knee disability is not rated higher than noncompensable due to lack of limitation of motion.,A separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability has been granted.,The Veteran's right shoulder disability does not warrant a rating in excess of the current 20 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's flat feet, finding that it was present at birth and not aggravated by service. The left knee injury and right knee pain claims were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.