Knee decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, left shoulder condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, left foot condition, right foot condition, left-hand condition, and right-hand condition due to a lack of in-service records. Additional attempts should be made to obtain any missing service treatment records and efforts should be made to obtain earlier private medical records.

The Board denied service connection for left knee, left foot, right foot, and neck disorders as the evidence did not show current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder due to incomplete medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee sprain, right eye laceration scar, and TBI due to incomplete medical records and failure to attend scheduled VA examinations.

The Veteran's left knee instability is granted with a 10% evaluation from July 11, 2011 to September 25, 2013.

The Veteran's left knee disabilities, including arthritis and recurrent subluxation, were not found to warrant higher disability evaluations prior to January 2, 2021. The current ratings for the conditions are maintained.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection, but his left knee disability and hepatitis are denied.,The Veteran's left knee disability is denied as there is no current diagnosis of a left knee condition. The claim for hepatitis is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for right ankle and left ankle disabilities due to incomplete STRs and inadequate etiology opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss. Service connections for right and left knee disabilities, as well as sinus problems, are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board denied service connection for a left ankle disability, right knee disability, and left eye cataract as there is no evidence of current disabilities or causation during service.,There are no indications of any chronic conditions related to the Veteran's ankles or knees that would allow for presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent her from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, as she has maintained full-time employment since January 2016.

The Board has remanded the case for additional retrospective medical opinions regarding the Veteran's TDIU claim prior to January 23, 1998. The opinions are needed to address the symptoms and severity of his service-connected disabilities during that period.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. The Board has ordered further development to determine the nature and etiology of his left knee condition, lower and upper back conditions, and bilateral shin splints.

The Veteran's appeals of his ratings and service connection claims have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeals in July 2020.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded due to open medical questions related to his CAD, arthritis of various joints, and other disabilities. The Veteran is required to undergo examinations to address these issues.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to inadequate examinations and opinions related to his left knee and back disabilities. The claims are now before the Board for adjudication.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of residuals of an insect bite, gastrointestinal disability characterized by abdominal pains, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, respiratory disability, right ankle disability, bilateral foot disability, and increased rating for chondromalacia with degenerative arthritis of the right knee have been withdrawn. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a low back disability and entitlement to TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder, right elbow, bilateral knee, and bilateral ankle disabilities due to incomplete evidentiary development.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities are granted with separate ratings of 10 percent for instability, effective throughout the appeal period. Ratings for prior to March 28, 2014 were also granted.

The Board has remanded the claims due to the Veteran's failure to report for VA examinations and his homelessness. The cases are now back with the Board for further development.