Knee decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's right knee disorder is caused or aggravated by his service-connected pes planus. Additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and providing a new VA opinion, is required.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral knee disability, bladder disorder, cervical spine disorder, and colitis. Additionally, the TDIU and CUE claims are also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion or scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right knee disability. The Veteran is presumed to have incurred the injury during combat in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for respiratory, sinus, diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, back, left knee, and right knee disabilities are being remanded due to insufficient evidence or lack of clear rationale in the previous VA examination. The claims for hearing loss and tinnitus are also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate rationale in VA examinations and outstanding VA treatment records. The Veteran's claims for service connection are pending.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for hypertension and left knee arthritis status post arthroscopy was denied. The claim of service connection for a right shoulder disorder is denied.

The Board has dismissed all claims of service connection for various conditions as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease, left knee. The appeals are dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's vertigo and migraine headaches are granted as secondary to her service-connected right ear hearing loss. The Veteran's arthritis of the left wrist, right wrist, left hand, and lower extremities are remanded for further examination and opinion. Her Raynaud's syndromes and knee/ankle conditions are also remanded.

The Veteran's gout disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board found that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of definite impairment of health or three or more incapacitating exacerbations per year.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a duty to assist error, and denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for lower back problems, left knee degeneration, and sleep apnea. The claims for tinnitus are not reopened.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability and a right hip disability, finding no evidence of such disabilities during or related to active duty service.,Service connection was also denied for left upper extremity neurological disorder (claimed as neuropathy) and right upper extremity neurological disorder (claimed as neuropathy), with the case being remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of TDIU due to service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, right and left knee disabilities, and pes planus. The Veteran's attorney requested a revision of the May 2009 rating decision based on CUE in not considering entitlement to TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hip and knee conditions are related to service, but further development is needed for a proper determination.

The Board denied service connection and increased rating claims, finding no evidence to support the Veteran's assertions of in-service onset or relationship between his current conditions and military service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for left and right knee disorders due to a duty to assist error.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and back disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions. The issues are whether these conditions are secondary to his service-connected left knee disability, or if they had their onset in service.

The Veteran's left knee arthritis, status post total knee arthroplasty, is rated at 30 percent prior to February 1, 2019. A separate 10 percent rating for limitation of extension of the left knee is granted. The TDIU claim is remanded.

Your initial rating for left knee strain with joint osteoarthritis from April 15, 2019 to November 19, 2019 has been granted at a 10 percent disability rating. However, the appeal is dismissed because you did not clearly identify which issue you wanted to appeal.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and right knee disorder are granted as service-connected. The case is remanded for further verification of National Guard service periods and to obtain relevant medical records.