Knee decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current conditions and his in-service physical duties, including playing war games while wearing rucksacks and heavy gear.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the right hip post-operative total right hip total replacement and a bilateral knee disorder due to potential in-service injuries. The Veteran's service records show he was awarded the Parachutist badge, indicating participation in multiple jumps as a paratrooper. A remand is necessary for the May 2016 examiner to provide an opinion on whether any right hip or bilateral knee disability is related to his military service.

The Veteran is granted TDIU effective June 5, 2014. The Board also referred the case for extraschedular consideration and instructed the RO to obtain the Veteran's employment history from December 1, 2005, through June 5, 2014.

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

The Veteran's bilateral knee arthritis is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for right ear hearing loss disability is denied.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for a separate rating for right knee instability, including due to residuals of a right total knee arthroplasty, needs further development. The case is being remanded to schedule an examination and obtain additional VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating prior to March 23, 2016, for plantar callus and bone spur of the left foot was denied. The Board found that during this period, the Veteran did not have symptoms of moderate severity.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee disabilities are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. Service connection was not granted due to lack of credible evidence supporting the claimed in-service stressors or events, injuries, or diseases. Increased ratings were denied as there is no objective medical evidence of current disability.

The Veteran's claims for erectile dysfunction, PTSD, and tinnitus have been dismissed as they were granted in the July 2020 rating decision.,The Veteran’s right little finger disability claim has been remanded due to lack of a compensable rating.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee disorder as secondary to his service-connected left knee strain. The issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding its relationship to the service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right knee and low back disabilities, specifically whether they are aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his left and right knee disabilities, as well as his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and information.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee osteoarthritis and posttraumatic left knee degenerative joint disease were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral pes planus and bilateral eye disability to obtain additional medical opinions. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are also being considered.

The Veteran's right knee disability is being remanded for further evaluation as the current VA examination did not provide necessary measurements and the Veteran testified that his condition has worsened since then.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee pain (osteoarthritis) and left knee pain (s/p total knee replacement) due to a lack of contemporaneous medical evidence. The Veteran and his spouse provided testimony regarding their belief that the Veteran injured his knees during service, but did not seek treatment.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not require regular aid and attendance or housebound status due to his service-connected conditions, as he retained the ability to perform most daily activities with assistance from others.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right knee disabilities, but the Veteran's claim of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hallux valgus and nail condition is still pending.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a left foot and left knee disability due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran's complaints of continuity of symptomatology, in-service treatment records, and parachute jumps were not considered.

The Board has ordered remand for further development on several service connection claims, including joint pain in the hands and feet, skin disorder to the feet, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. The issues remain on appeal.