Knee decisions — 2020

The Veteran's left knee disability and bilateral hearing loss have been granted service connection. Service connection for type two diabetes mellitus, heart condition, prostate cancer, and right knee disability is denied.

The Veteran's right knee disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current condition related to service, and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that his current conditions are due to military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disability is related to service, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's right chronic anterior talofibular ligament injury is granted a 20 percent rating, but no higher. The Veteran also receives a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions including low back disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, lower extremity radiculopathy, circulatory disorder, gastric disorder (including GERD), acquired psychiatric disorder, psoriatic arthritis, and liver disorder due to incomplete development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to new examinations being necessary, as well as an opinion on the etiology of any left knee disorder.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and increased ratings for various knee, shoulder, and wrist conditions due to insufficient evidence or procedural issues.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee disability, diagnosed as osteoarthritis and patellofemoral pain syndrome with tendinitis, finding that his current condition is etiologically related to his time in service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right knee, right heel, and acquired psychiatric disabilities. The VA must obtain addendum opinions addressing these issues.

The Board has remanded the left knee disability rating and TDIU issues due to inadequate examination reports, failure to obtain all relevant medical records, and inextricability with other claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection related to gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms have been denied. Effective dates for the awards of service connection are also denied.

The Veteran's right and left knee conditions have been granted separate ratings of 10 percent each for painful motion, effective October 24, 2011. The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder condition and sleep disorder.,Service connection was not established for the Veteran's claimed right shoulder condition or sleep disorder due to lack of current disability evidence.

The Board has restored a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected right knee instability effective November 1, 2015. The reduction from 20 to 10 percent was not proper due to evidence of worsening symptoms and functional impairment.

The Veteran's left knee DJD status post ACL reconstruction resulted in painful flexion and extension prior to April 10, 2015. The Veteran also experienced instability from March 14, 2013 to April 9, 2015.,Since October 15, 2019, the Veteran's left knee DJD status post ACL reconstruction resulted in chronic residuals of severe painful motion or weakness.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current right knee disability was caused by or aggravated by his service-connected right hip disability. The AOJ is instructed to obtain an addendum medical opinion from a VA examiner.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine disability, bilateral knee disability, and DJD of the low back. The disabilities are all found to be related to a July 2004 injury during INACDUTRA.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his right knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support such an increase.

The Board has restored the reduced ratings for left and right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, but has remanded other claims including evaluations for ankle fracture, lumbar spine condition, knee conditions, and TDIU.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claims can be adjudicated on the merits. The Veteran's service-connected left and right knee disabilities, as well as his psychiatric disorder and sleep disorder, are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee degenerative joint disease and remanded the issue of a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for bronchial asthma.