Knee decisions — 2021

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims of service connection for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, left knee disability, and left shoulder disability.,These issues are now being remanded to obtain additional evidence and opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim for service connection for a thoracic spine disability was granted. A rating of 100 percent for PTSD, and ratings in excess of 10 percent for left knee and right knee disorders were denied. The Veteran's hiatal hernia and GERD received a 50 percent rating. TDIU benefits were granted from November 1, 2009 until January 31, 2010 and from September 1, 2011 until May 12, 2013. The Veteran's thoracic spine disability was remanded for further review.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hip, shoulder, and knee disabilities due to insufficient medical opinions addressing their etiology. The case is being returned to the RO for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for a left shoulder disability and remanded the issue of service connection for a left knee disability.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the right and left knee disability ratings, including obtaining medical records and affording the Veteran an opportunity to identify any relevant medical records.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional findings regarding subluxation, instability, and range of motion during flareups.

The Board denied service connection for various knee, ankle, and back disabilities as well as COPD. The Veteran's pre-existing left knee condition was not aggravated by service, and there is no evidence of a current disability related to his right knee or ankles that can be linked to service. Service connection for COPD was also denied due to lack of exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board found that it does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating based on limitation of motion. The Veteran's symptoms do not warrant an increased rating.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of December 2, 2011 for the grant of a 20 percent disability rating for a service-connected left knee disability based upon cartilage impairment. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 30 percent for a service-connected left knee disability associated with loss of use of bilateral feet disability is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's left and right knee disabilities are currently rated at 10 percent each, but the criteria for a higher rating have not been met.

The Veteran's right wrist disorder is remanded for extra-schedular consideration.,The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) related to the right wrist issue is also remanded.,For the period from July 5, 2013 to July 16, 2014, an increased rating for a right knee disorder was denied. The Veteran's bilateral knee disorders were assigned initial 10 percent ratings based on limited extension of the knee.,Since July 16, 2014, the criteria for a 20 percent rating, but no higher, for limited right knee extension have been approximated.,Since July 16, 2014, the criteria for a separate 10 percent rating, but no higher, for patellar instability of the right knee have been approximated.,Since July 16, 2014, the criteria for a 30 percent rating, but no higher, for limited left knee extension have been approximated.,Since July 16, 2014, the criteria for a separate 10 percent rating, but no higher, for patellar instability of the left knee have been approximated.

The Board has remanded the cases due to a lack of compliance with previous remand directives regarding obtaining post-service VA treatment records. The Veteran's right shoulder, bilateral knees, and bilateral ankles conditions are being reviewed again for service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, and left knee disabilities due to incomplete compliance with a previous remand directive. The VA examiner is instructed to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his in-service job as a mail clerk.

The Board has denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's left wrist disability. The issues of service connection for a left knee disability and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to incomplete or insufficient examination reports.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities were denied as they did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent. The Veteran was also granted TDIU prior to June 19, 2019.

The Veteran's right knee strain, lumbar back strain, fibromyalgia, Raynaud's disease, and shoulder disabilities are all granted. The effective date for the grant of service connection for the lumbar back strain is set at August 1, 2007.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his left knee degenerative changes is being remanded due to failure to report for VA examinations and the need for another examination.

The Veteran's right knee disability, characterized by painful motion and degenerative arthritis with frequent episodes of 'locking' and pain, was rated at 20 percent prior to September 19, 2020. As of that date, the disability has been rated at 20 percent due to limitation of extension between 10 to 14 degrees.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete development and need for additional medical opinions.