Knee decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied or not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence. The claim for PTSD was reopened, but the Board found no causal relationship between the current disability and active duty.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches, including migraines, is granted. The claims for right knee iliotibial band syndrome, right shoulder condition, and elbow condition are remanded for further development.

The Board has found that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability does not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent, and his erectile dysfunction and gout do not warrant compensable ratings. The right knee condition is remanded for further review.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims for various disabilities, including low back disorder, cervical spine disorder, bilateral knee disorders, bilateral foot disorders, anxiety disorder, and sleep disorder. The VA is instructed to obtain relevant post-service treatment records and schedule a VA examination to determine if these conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, as well as his request for a new examination. The Veteran will need to provide missing supporting statements for his sleep apnea claim, undergo an examination for restless leg syndrome, and have a VA examination for bilateral knee strain.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new and material evidence having been received. The right knee pain, left knee pain, acquired psychiatric disorder, and TBI claims are also being remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is granted as presumptively related to his service in Vietnam due to herbicide exposure. The left knee disorder, chronic headaches, and high blood pressure are denied as not being related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus is at least as likely as not aggravated by his service-connected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The rating for bilateral pes planus with arthritis has been granted.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for her service-connected left knee total arthroplasty was denied. The appeal also included a secondary service connection claim for lumbar spine disorder, which was remanded.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for a right shoulder disability, low back disability and right knee disability due to new evidence. However, further development is needed as physical examination is required.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an eye disability, TBI, bilateral knee condition, and erectile dysfunction. The decision found that new evidence did not relate to unestablished facts or raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims. The criteria for service connection were not met in any of the issues.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a right little finger fracture, thoracolumbar spine disability, left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, bilateral foot strain, and bilateral knee patellofemoral syndrome. Service connection was denied for residuals of Valley fever.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left knee arthritis, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right knee arthritis, as well as left and right hand arthritis. A 40% rating is assigned for prostate cancer residuals.

The Board has remanded the claims for lumbosacral degenerative disc disease (DDD) associated with right total knee replacement and the claim for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability due to inadequate development of evidence regarding functional impairment during flare-ups.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle and left knee disorders, finding that these conditions are not related to his military service or caused by his service-connected right ankle and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus were granted service connection effective April 26, 2018. The Veteran is now receiving the maximum schedular rating for his tinnitus.,TDIU was granted from January 15, 2013.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional examinations and information to determine appropriate disability ratings.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for referral to the Director, Compensation Service, for extraschedular consideration of TDIU on the Veteran's right knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his disabilities, particularly those related to his right foot and back. The Veteran will need to undergo additional VA examinations to address these issues.