Knee decisions — 2020

The appeal for service connection and rating of the Veteran's back, right knee, and left eye disabilities is remanded due to new evidence submitted since the last denial. The temporary total evaluation claim will be addressed after resolving the service connection issues.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's OSA is not service connected on its own, but may be secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities. The decision is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding whether the knee disabilities caused obesity, which in turn caused the OSA.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back, right ankle, and right knee disabilities have been granted. The right knee disability was denied due to lack of in-service injury or disease. The low back and right ankle disabilities were reopened based on new evidence.

The Board denied service connection for chronic kidney disease and dismissed all increased rating claims for DJD in the shoulders, knees, and lumbar spine.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee, right knee, and lumbar spine disabilities have been denied. The effective dates of the granted benefits are specified.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee and lumbar spine conditions due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The claims are being returned for further examination and opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for recurrent left knee injury residuals and dismissed the appeal regarding traumatic brain injury residuals.

The appeal for service connection for bilateral dry eye syndrome is dismissed as the benefit sought has been fully granted.,Service connection for a back disability is denied due to lack of evidence linking current symptoms to military service.,Headaches are not rated higher than zero percent, as they do not meet criteria for more severe ratings based on frequency and severity.,Right knee osteoarthritis prior to July 24, 2015 is granted a staged initial rating of 10 percent.,Right knee osteoarthritis from July 24, 2015 onwards is denied as the current symptoms do not warrant higher ratings based on severity and limitation of motion.,Bilateral hearing loss does not meet criteria for compensable ratings.,Sinusitis is not rated higher than zero percent due to lack of evidence of incapacitating episodes.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal of his right ankle disability as he explicitly withdrew it during a hearing. The cases for lumbar spine, bilateral knee, and obstructive sleep apnea disabilities are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and a need for an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right knee chondromalacia.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development of evidence regarding the Veteran's employability and non-service-connected disabilities. The VA must schedule an examination to assess the severity and permanency of all his disabilities, including their impact on employment.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and consideration of all evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disorder, finding no evidence of such condition during or within one year after service. The VA examiner concluded that the current right knee disorder is not related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and procedural issues, including the need for a statement of the case on service connection claims and TDIU. The SSA records are also requested.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to outstanding records and incomplete medical histories.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for posttraumatic laceration of the penis and testicles was denied.,Service connection for a left knee disability was also denied, as the condition did not have its onset during active service or is otherwise etiologically related to such service.

The Veteran's SMC is granted for the period between January 6, 2017 and February 28, 2018 due to having a single service-connected disability rated at 100% with additional disabilities independently ratable at 60%. The Veteran had a 100% rating for left knee arthroplasty and other conditions like bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and left ring finger disability.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right shoulder osteoarthritis, a neck disorder (DJD), and headaches. The claims for knee disorders were denied as there was no evidence of in-service injury or chronic condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for rating higher than 10 percent for right and left knee disabilities due to lack of clarity in the September 2018 examination report regarding whether the Veteran was wearing braces during his evaluation. The Veteran is also requested to provide updated VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and TDIU are being remanded due to the addition of new VA examination and treatment records that were not considered in the previous decision.