Knee decisions — 2021

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of left knee, right hip, and left hip disabilities as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected condition.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased disability ratings for cervical spine degenerative disc disease and left knee osteoarthritis prior to the promulgation of a decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability and incomplete service treatment records. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete service treatment records and outstanding private medical records. The Veteran is also scheduled for VA examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board denied a higher rating for the Veteran's left knee disability, finding that there were no compensable limitations of flexion or extension, recurrent subluxation or lateral instability, dislocated or symptomatic post-removal semilunar cartilage, genu recurvatum, or malunion of tibia or fibula. The current 10 percent rating is the maximum available for pain without a showing of functional limitations.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's residuals of a left knee injury, right shoulder injury, and low back disability. The conditions are deemed to be directly related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, left knee disability, and TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions. The claims for increased ratings for ankle disabilities are granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for cervical spine, lumbar spine, and left knee disabilities due to incomplete medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for low back, neck, right hip, and right knee disabilities. The Veteran's right shoulder and right hand disabilities are not service-connected.

The Veteran's left hand condition, manifested by neurological symptoms, is granted service connection.,The Veteran's low back pain is granted service connection.,The Veteran's left knee strain is denied service connection.,The Veteran's left ankle condition and right ankle condition are both denied service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration due to inadequate or incomplete examinations, as well as failure to address certain evidence in the record.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee conditions have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that they warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected dermatitis was denied as the condition does not cover at least 20 percent of the entire body or exposed areas affected, and does not require systemic therapy such as corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive drugs during the past 12-month period.,The Veteran's hypertension is remanded for an addendum opinion to determine if it is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by his active duty service, including herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, back disorder, right-hand disorder, and anemia due to incomplete records search under the Veteran's former name. A new VA medical opinion is needed on each issue.

The Veteran's service-connected left knee disabilities were granted, with a separate rating for the meniscal tear and non-compensable ratings for flexion and extension limitations. The effective date is not specified.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude substantially gainful employment, and the criteria for a TDIU rating have not been met.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased initial ratings for left and right knee disabilities due to incomplete VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of thoracolumbar spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities have been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including right shoulder and elbow disabilities, left knee and cervical spine disabilities, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The issues have been referred back to VA for further examination and opinion.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient development of records and need for additional medical opinions.