Knee decisions — 2020

The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional development due to conflicting medical opinions and new evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding the opinions provided by VA examiners on whether the Veteran's right knee disability could be caused or aggravated by his service-connected back disability or right leg muscle impairment.

The Board has denied service connection for a back disability and a bilateral knee disability, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his active service. The claim for tremors is remanded as there is conflicting evidence regarding its etiology.,Service connection was also denied for tremors, with the case being remanded due to conflicting medical opinions on whether the condition is secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his right knee conditions were denied. The claim for TDIU was granted, but only since April 18, 2017.

The Board denied service connection for traumatic arthritis of the right knee, left knee, and bilateral hips as there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claim to reopen his previously denied claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left knee condition, and left hip condition is granted. The claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD) are also reopened.,The Board has determined that new evidence received since the previous final denial raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left knee, and left hip.

The Veteran's abdominal scars are granted as they were incurred during active service.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, is denied due to lack of evidence linking the conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability is related to his active duty for training, and service connection is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for cervical and thoracolumbar spine disorders, osteoarthritis of the right hip and left knee, and a hernia disorder due to incomplete medical opinions regarding their etiology. Additionally, the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for residuals of fracture of the second toe middle phalanx is also remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal for compensable evaluations for bilateral hearing loss, and initial evaluations in excess of 10 percent for right knee strain and left knee strain requires additional development due to missing VA examinations. The appeals are being remanded.

The Board has ordered the VA to obtain additional medical records and conduct further examinations for the Veteran's cervical spine, lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities. The remand is due to incomplete documentation of requests for treatment records and insufficient opinions regarding service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional evidence and an examination of the Veteran's right knee instability.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection of migraines, depression, left knee disorder, and fibromyalgia. However, the Veteran's claim for right leg and foot radiculopathy is denied as there is no current disability.

The Board has remanded the TDIU claim due to a lack of private treatment records for bilateral knee conditions. The VA will continue efforts to obtain these records before addressing the TDIU claim.

The Board denied service connection for low back disorder, left knee disorder, and left hand numbness as there was no evidence of a nexus between the current conditions and service.

The Board has denied service connection for neck, left knee, right knee, left ankle, right ankle, and both feet disabilities as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU have been remanded by the Board due to incomplete development. The left knee disability remains rated at 20 percent, effective February 11, 2020.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for paralyzed true right vocal cord and a separate 10 percent disability rating for left knee injury have been denied. The Veteran is currently receiving a 10 percent disability rating for the left knee injury.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for service-connected left knee chondromalacia patella was denied, and the effective date for the increased rating was not granted earlier than January 15, 2015.

The Board has denied service connection for type II diabetes mellitus (DM2) and remanded the right knee disorder claim. The DM2 claim is denied due to lack of evidence linking it to service, while the right knee disorder claim is sent back for further examination.