Knee decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the claims for right ankle, left ankle, right knee, and left knee conditions due to a lack of VA treatment records. The Veteran's social security number was corrected but no attempts were made to obtain any missing VA records.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine as secondary to bilateral knee disabilities. The Veteran's left and right knees with chondromalacia are each rated at 10%.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's right knee condition, including his ability to walk on it and the presence of flare-ups. The Veteran needs to provide updated medical records, and a new examination is required.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his right knee disability was denied as the evidence did not show or approximate flexion limited to 15 degrees or extension limited to 20 degrees, even considering pain and limitation of motion. The highest schedular rating under DC 5258 is 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, specifically addressing whether they are related to service and if they are aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine and radiculopathy disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA examinations and addressing the severity of his service-connected bilateral knee disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that there was no evidence of a left knee condition during active service and that any current left knee disability is not related to his service-connected right knee disability. The decision also noted that the passage of time between discharge from active service and the medical documentation of a claimed disability tends to weigh against a claim for service connection.

The Board has denied service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, and right hand disabilities. Additionally, the Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his patellofemoral pain syndrome of both knees have also been denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for further evidentiary development, specifically regarding right knee motion loss in terms of degrees during periods of repetitive use or flare-ups from prior examination reports.

The Veteran's service connection claims are being remanded due to the need for updated examinations and additional records.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions and further development is needed.

The Veteran's clothing allowances for the benefit year 2014 are granted due to wear and tear caused by his Canadian crutches, which tend to damage his upper body clothing at an increased rate.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure of the Veteran to report for a VA examination scheduled in December 2019. The examiner will be asked to assess the severity of the right knee disability and provide information regarding any flare-ups, functional loss, and other relevant symptoms.

The Veteran's right knee strain and degenerative disease have been rated at 10 percent, but the Board has remanded to determine if a higher rating is warranted.,The Veteran's left knee strain has also been rated at 10 percent, with the same request for review.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD.,Service connection for the right knee condition is denied. The Board found that there is no evidence linking the current right knee pain to service or a service-connected condition.

Service connection for residuals of left knee meniscectomy is granted.,A rating in excess of 20 percent for back sprain/strain prior to September 13, 2019 is denied. A compensable rating of 20 percent effective January 20, 2012, for back sprain/strain is granted.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, and depression. The Veteran's current disabilities were not incurred during his active duty service.,Service connection was also denied for a sleep disability (insomnia) as there is no evidence of such a condition in the record.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a right hip disability and entitlement to TDIU prior to July 1, 2019. The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling throughout the appeal period.

The Board has remanded the claims for higher ratings for left and right knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran needs a new examination to assess his current range of motion, flare-ups, and other functional limitations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render her unemployable, and thus denied her claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability.