Knee decisions — 2021

The Board has denied service connection for a back condition, neck condition, and bilateral knee condition as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and examination, including a new VA examination for lumbar spine disability and right knee disability. The TDIU issue is also being remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his right leg gunshot wound, contributed to his death from heart failure. The decision grants service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder disorder is not related to service and denied his claim. The right elbow pronation, left ankle sprain, right elbow calcific tendinosis, left knee osteoarthritis, and right knee patellar bone spur claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current left shoulder / left arm disorder is aggravated by his service-connected partial left foot drop with left knee arthritis. The VA examiner must provide a rationale for their opinion on this issue.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a link between any of these conditions and the Veteran's active service.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his left and right knee disabilities was denied, with the effective date set at January 11, 2018.,The Board has determined that an earlier effective date is not warranted for the TDIU and DEA benefits.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's right leg, left leg, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities. The claims for service connection are also being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, right knee condition, allergic rhinitis, and right shoulder condition have been granted. The remaining issues of increased ratings for migraine headaches, bilateral plantar fasciitis with pes planus, and service connection for a right knee condition are remanded.

The Veteran's initial increased rating for left knee arthritis with internal derangement and meniscal tear prior to July 15, 2013 and from November 1, 2013 to July 31, 2018 was denied.,An initial increased rating of 20 percent, but no higher, for left knee instability prior to September 27, 2017 was granted. The Veteran's total left knee replacement from October 1, 2019 is rated at 60 percent.

The Board denied service connection for right knee arthritis, left knee disability, and thrombocytopenia. The Veteran's right knee arthritis was not shown as chronic in service or within a presumptive period, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology. For the left knee, there is no current diagnosis at any time during or recent to the filing of the claim. Regarding thrombocytopenia, while the Veteran served at Camp Lejeune, the Board found that his thrombocytopenia was not related to exposure to contaminated water and concluded that it did not begin during service.

The Board has remanded the claims for a right knee disability due to incomplete VA examination reports and in order to address the Veteran's TDIU claim. The issues include seeking higher ratings for instability of the joint and painful motion, as well as determining if the Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's left ankle sprain, right knee strain, and lumbar strain are currently rated at 10 percent each. The Board denied increased ratings for all three conditions as the evidence did not support a finding of marked limitation of motion or other disabling symptoms warranting higher ratings.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of chronic in-service arthritis or a link to an in-service injury. The Board also noted that osteoarthritis was not diagnosed until decades after service separation.

The Board has remanded the claims for higher ratings for right knee strain with tendonitis, left knee instability, thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, and TDIU prior to July 28, 2010. The VA examinations were inadequate due to reliance on inaccurate factual premises.

The Veteran's service-connected migraine headaches have rendered him unemployable since July 16, 2014. The Board found that the evidence supports his claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) from this date.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for her right knee disability and for TDIU. The Veteran needs to undergo further examination, and VA must consider whether extra-schedular consideration is warranted for TDIU.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as to all claims due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left hip, foot, and knee disabilities due to internal inconsistency in a previous VA examiner's opinion. The RO is required to obtain an updated medical opinion regarding whether these disabilities are related to his service-connected low back disability or aggravated by other service-connected conditions.