Knee decisions — 2022

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and insufficient competent medical evidence to establish a relationship between his current condition and service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder, including constipation; a right knee disability; and a right ankle disability. The Board found that there is no evidence of chronic conditions related to these disabilities during or after active duty.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's sleep apnea and its relationship to his service-connected disabilities. The Veteran contends that his psychiatric disorder, back, knee, and feet disabilities have caused or aggravated his sleep apnea.

The claims for service connection for low back, right knee, and left knee disabilities are granted. The decision also remands the claims for tinnitus.

The Board has determined that there has not been substantial compliance with the remand directives and another remand is required for further development, including verification of exposure to environmental toxins and addendum opinions regarding the etiology of diagnosed disabilities.

The Veteran's right knee TKR disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted as his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been granted increased ratings, with some conditions receiving separate ratings for different parts of their body.,Several conditions received specific and higher ratings based on more severe manifestations.

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at a 30 percent rating prior to August 4, 2014 for instability. The rating for limitation of motion has been denied. A separate 20 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5258 for severe instability is granted. From October 1, 2015, the Veteran's right knee disability is rated at a 60 percent rating due to postoperative residuals of total right knee replacement.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of multiple extremities. The decision also noted that the Veteran's claims were not perfected for other issues.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for left knee and leg disabilities prior to April 3, 2018, and entitlement to TDIU prior to that date due to the Veteran's service-connected conditions. The case is now pending for further development and re-adjudication.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for limited flexion, limited extension, and instability of his right knee. The current disability ratings are 10% each.

The Veteran's right elbow disorder, left elbow disorder, and fifth metacarpal injury of the right hand did not have their onset in service or are not related to service.,The Veteran's low back disorder did not have its onset in service or until many years thereafter and is not related to service or an incident of service origin.,The Veteran's right knee disorder did not have its onset in service or until many years thereafter and is not related to service or an incident of service origin.,Due to the Veteran's failure to report for examinations, there is insufficient evidence to establish that his obstructive sleep apnea is related to service or a service-connected condition, or whether it represents an undiagnosed illness that cannot be attributed to a known clinical diagnosis.,The Veteran's acne keloidalis did not have its onset in service.,The Veteran's alopecia areata did not have its onset in service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a bilateral knee disorder, varicose veins of the left leg, undiagnosed numbness and tingling in lower extremities, and fatigue are all granted.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee strain. However, the claim is denied as there is no medical evidence linking the current condition to active duty service.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations and potential outstanding VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of left shoulder, right-hand, and left knee conditions are granted. The claim for service connection of the right knee condition is remanded.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial disability ratings are inextricably intertwined, necessitating remand to obtain a VA medical opinion adequate for adjudication purposes.

The Veteran's service-connected knee disability does not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a neck condition, bilateral knee condition, and left shoulder condition due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prior to March 13, 2018 rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment.