Knee decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his prostate cancer and other conditions. The issues include service connection for various disabilities, including prostate cancer, hypertrophy of the breast, high blood pressure, residuals from paralysis of the fourth cranial nerve, HIV, heart disability, sleep disorder, arthritis, and bone and cartilage disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his right knee disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and thus failing to meet the requirements for service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development, including determining whether a rating more than 10 percent is warranted for left knee instability and chondromalacia. The Veteran's current 10 percent rating for left knee chondromalacia remains unchanged.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for right knee, left knee disabilities, and residuals of a right femur fracture due to new evidence indicating that the Veteran's service-connected conditions have worsened.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, left wrist disability, and left knee disability. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other issues.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right knee tricompartmental osteoarthritis with complete medial meniscal posterior horn and body degeneration are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examination.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's right knee disability does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent. The issue of service connection for hypertension is remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of left knee strain was granted effective November 14, 2004, the day following his separation from active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee disability but has remanded the issue of secondary service connection for his right knee disability due to inadequate reasoning and lack of consideration of continuity of symptomatology.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service-connected and aggravated by his diabetic nephropathy. The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 70% for PTSD has been withdrawn. Issues related to a left thigh skin disability, PFB, bilateral hearing loss, CAD, right knee strain with instability, cortical cataracts, SMC based on loss of use, and TDIU prior to March 9, 2006 are all remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions regarding his right shoulder bursitis, left knee disability, and service connection.,For the residuals of fractures to right third, fourth and fifth toes, the Veteran's condition has been rated as moderate.

The Veteran seeks higher ratings for his left knee and right knee disabilities, but the current assigned ratings do not adequately reflect the severity of his symptomatology during flare-up episodes.,A new VA examination is needed to evaluate the severity of the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities in accordance with the new applicable rating criteria.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee DJD and total left knee replacement from specific dates have been denied by the Board.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment since May 31, 2017. The Board has granted a TDIU from that date onward but has remanded the issue of whether he was unemployable prior to May 31, 2017 for further review.

The Veteran's right knee instability is rated at 20 percent, effective from February 7, 2021. The initial rating for the degenerative joint disease remains at 10 percent.

The claims for service connection for right and left hip disorders, as well as for hypertensive cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus type II are being remanded due to the need for additional development.,Service connection is also being remanded for a right knee disorder, a left knee disorder, and a left ankle disorder.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate medical opinion from September 2012, and a new examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's left knee disability is related to her service.

The Board has granted service connection for a right foot disability and denied service connection for right ankle, left knee, and acquired psychiatric disabilities. The case is remanded for further development regarding a skin disability.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right foot disability. The case is remanded to determine if the Veteran's left knee disability is related to his right foot disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the left and right knees, as well as a TDIU claim, were denied by the Board.,For the period from November 14, 2013 forward, the Veteran is not entitled to an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for either knee arthritis disability.