Knee decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to asbestos exposure, diabetes mellitus type II, low back disorder, hypertension, vision loss, and sore throat. The Veteran is required to provide VA with release forms to obtain his private treatment records from relevant providers.

The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated at 50 percent on and after June 27, 2017. The Board has found the evidence does not support a higher rating for this period. The issue of service connection for sleep apnea secondary to PTSD and the right knee disability remains remanded.

The Board found that the issue of entitlement to a TDIU was part and parcel of the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for headaches. The appeal is remanded due to incomplete documentation, specifically the lack of completed VA Form 21-8904 and outstanding SSA records.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 20 percent for right knee instability from patellofemoral pain syndrome, but the claims for increased ratings for other conditions related to the knees are remanded due to insufficient examination reports.

The Veteran's right knee, status post total arthroplasty, is rated at 60 percent from January 1, 2016 to June 3, 2016. A separate 10 percent rating for left knee slight instability and a 10 percent rating for symptomatic residuals of left knee meniscectomy are granted effective March 22, 2016.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right ankle and left knee disabilities due to incomplete medical opinions and need for further examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right and left knee disabilities are causally related to his service, including periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty training (IDT).,Service connection is granted for bilateral knee degenerative arthritis.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment since November 1, 2012. The Board has granted an effective date of November 1, 2012 for the award of TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his combined disability ratings did not meet the schedular requirements and there was insufficient evidence showing he is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a retrospective medical opinion.

The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of separate right hip disability and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim. The case is remanded for additional opinions regarding service connection for left hip, left knee, and right knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to missing records and additional VA treatment records. The claims will be considered again after obtaining all relevant medical records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and granted.,New evidence has been submitted to support the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee disorder, left shoulder arthritis, right shoulder arthritis, and peptic ulcer disease, all related to herbicide agent exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inconsistencies and inadequacies in recent VA examinations, and for obtaining any outstanding private treatment records. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a thyroid disability, and increased ratings for her right and left knee disabilities prior to August 14, 2020, were denied. The claim for an increased rating for her right and left knee disabilities after August 14, 2020, was also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between his current condition and his military service. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish secondary service connection due to his service-connected back disability.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for left knee instability and degenerative arthritis was denied. The Veteran received a separate rating of 20 percent for dislocated semilunar cartilage from June 27, 2017.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's right shoulder disorder is not service-connected, and has remanded for further development regarding his right knee disorder.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequacies in the most recent VA medical opinions. The Veteran's DJD of thoracolumbar spine, left shoulder, and left knee are being reviewed again to determine if they are related to his service-connected DJD of his left ankle and/or left hand.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for total left knee arthroplasty and entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities are remanded for further development.