Knee decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability and a left ankle disability, both of which are determined to be etiologically related to the Veteran's active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for left knee sprain service connection and for service connection for a breathing condition, finding no current diagnosis of either condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service separation and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology. The Board also found that the Veteran's current tinnitus was less likely than not caused by or a result of military noise exposure. Therefore, service connection for tinnitus has been denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various knee and foot disorders, as well as his claim for a higher rating for lumbar strain due to inadequate examinations in prior decisions.

The Board has granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis as of September 6, 2010, finding that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from all substantially gainful employment prior to December 2, 2014.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a compensable rating for hypertension, a rating in excess of 10 percent for left ankle disability, or a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee patellofemoral syndrome. However, a 10 percent rating was granted for left knee degenerative joint disease effective January 7, 2013.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to VA's failure to obtain private treatment records from specific providers. The appellant is required to provide releases and obtain any relevant medical records.

The Board denied service connection for right knee disability and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, neurocognitive disorder (dementia)) due to lack of evidence supporting the existence of these conditions.

The Board has found the Veteran's VA examination inadequate and remanded for a more complete medical examination to determine if his hip and knee disorders are related to service or caused by his service-connected back disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected bilateral knee conditions and secondary service connection for right shoulder and cervical spine disabilities are inextricably intertwined, necessitating remand. The VA examinations must be conducted to assess the current severity of the Veteran’s conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for left knee disability and TDIU prior to January 18, 2019 due to incomplete medical opinions regarding the presence of a meniscal tear in the left knee and lateral instability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, right knee disability, left ankle injury residuals, and herpes zoster due to potential service connection. Further development is needed including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at 10 percent since September 12, 2012. The Board found that the evidence does not support a higher rating as there was no indication of flexion limited to 31-45 degrees or recurrent subluxation and moderate instability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequate examinations and requests for additional information.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability on a secondary basis to the Veteran's service-connected residuals of a right knee replacement. The case is remanded for further development regarding rating and TDIU issues.

The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for left knee arthroscopy with osteoarthritis is granted. The claim for tinea corporis of the buttocks remains denied.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for degenerative arthritis of the right knee and denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the left knee. The Court has vacated these decisions due to a lack of compliance with remand directives, specifically regarding testing for pain on both active and passive motion during weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing activities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right knee disability, Grave's disease, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), history of C-section, and costochondritis. The Veteran was granted service connection for allergic conjunctivitis.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion or other criteria.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as his knee and hip disabilities did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.