Knee decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and need for further evaluation of the Veteran's lumbar spine strain, hip disability, knee disability, and depression. The claims for service connection are also referred to the RO.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure of the AOJ to decide whether the Veteran's right knee disability is secondary to his service-connected meralgia paresthetica. The AOJ must also obtain a new medical opinion addressing both causation and aggravation, and then adjudicate the claim for service connection for a right knee disability.

The Veteran's service-connected chondromalacia of the left and right knees do not render him unemployable, as his education and occupational experience allow for substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative joint disease of the right knee, postoperative with scars and for entitlement to a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) due to lack of recent VA examinations and incomplete medical records. The issues are intertwined as the TDIU claim is dependent on the outcome of the increased rating claim.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been withdrawn.,Service connection is granted for allergic rhinitis, with the condition believed to have onset during active service.

The Veteran's left knee disability is granted as service-connected due to an undiagnosed illness. The left foot and ankle disabilities are denied as not incurred in active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and conducting examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals regarding service connection for low testosterone and lost libido, left knee degenerative joint disease, GERD, right knee meniscal tear, bilateral hearing loss disability, diabetes mellitus, and a dental condition. The issues of service connection for these conditions are being remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for right and left toe disorders, as well as increased ratings for osteoarthritis of the knees. The appeal was also remanded for further review on several other issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for a new VA examination and re-adjudication of the claim, including obtaining updated employment information or Social Security Administration disability benefits information.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for missing testicles, an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for a right knee disability, and limitation of flexion of the right knee are being remanded due to inadequate VA opinions. The issues will be addressed again after additional development.

The Board dismissed the appeal for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent prior to November 19, 2015, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter, for lumbar back strain. The claim for a higher rating for right knee degenerative joint disease (DJD) is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for low back, left shoulder, and left knee disorders due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's left knee disorder is secondary to his service-connected right knee disability. The examiner did not adequately address the clinical evidence of record and whether it suggests the development of a left knee disorder prior to or after the fall.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a left knee disability and remanded his claims of service connection for sleep apnea and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including chondromalacia and degenerative arthritis, was evaluated as 20 percent disabling. A separate 10 percent rating for degenerative arthritis is granted. The Veteran’s surgical scars are rated at 10 percent due to pain.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of his right knee disability, as well as the reopening of a previously denied claim for back disability. The issues include determining if there is new evidence to reopen the back disability claim, establishing service connection for the right shoulder disability, and evaluating the severity of the right knee disability.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including arthritis and instability, is not shown to warrant a rating in excess of 40 percent.,Service connection for the right knee disability has been denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right knee arthritis and instability are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess the current severity of her service-connected disabilities, including consideration of functional loss during flare-ups.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a sciatic nerve disorder and increased rating claim for right knee strain were denied. The Board found no evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation, and the medical evidence did not support a nexus between the conditions and service.