Knee decisions — 2021

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for bilateral hearing loss disorder and left knee disorder. The issues are being remanded due to the need for additional examination and opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disability and esophageal disability (claimed as GERD) due to inadequate medical opinions in previous examinations. The Veteran will need new VA examinations to determine if her conditions are related to her military service.

The Veteran's request to reopen the service connection claims for neck disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder is granted. The claim for hearing loss of the left ear remains denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, bilateral knee osteoarthritis, and other specified depressive disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.,Specifically, a VA examiner is needed to address whether the current headache syndrome began during military service or is otherwise related to that service.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, right knee patellofemoral syndrome (right knee disability), and left knee patellofemoral syndrome (left knee disability) due to inadequate medical opinions and need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of nexus opinions and for clarification regarding the severity of his left shoulder disability. The issues include chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic constipation, PTSD, bilateral hip, hand, foot, elbow, and knee disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of all pending claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding service connection for sleep apnea and increased rating for right knee disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions. The spine and bilateral knee conditions are being reviewed again.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for his right knee degenerative arthritis is being remanded due to the need for a retrospective medical opinion regarding the nature, extent, and severity of his symptoms from July 9, 2013 to the present.

The Board has remanded several cases involving the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left knee degenerative joint disease, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with spurring and status post chondroplasty, recurrent subluxation of the right knee, postoperative cervical fusion with Brown-Sequard syndrome prior to July 6, 2018, and lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease. The cases are remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to lack of a causal link between the disabilities and the service-connected bilateral peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims for service connection of his right and left knee disabilities, as well as his bilateral hearing loss and increased rating for a left shoulder disability are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and need further evaluation.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain and right knee meniscal tear have been rated, but the Board has not determined if additional service connection is warranted for neck, shoulder, or sinus conditions.,The Veteran's knees require further examination to determine their current functional limitations.

The Board denied service connection for back and left knee conditions, finding that the current disabilities are not related to service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral knee pain and right ankle pain are granted as her symptoms have resulted in functional impairment since active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle condition, right knee condition, and right thumb condition.,There is no evidence in the record to support that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for various disabilities, including dental condition, right shoulder disability, right arm disability, OSA, kidney disability, polycythemia, right knee DJD with limitation of flexion, left knee DJD, hemorrhoids, hiatal hernia with GERD, and TDIU. The remand requires additional development to obtain relevant VA treatment records and conduct a VA examination for the Veteran's knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right knee and low back disorders are related to her military occupational specialty duties.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various knee and hand disorders due to incomplete development of records.