Knee decisions — 2022

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have caused him to lose the use of both feet, qualifying him for financial assistance in purchasing an automobile and adaptive equipment.

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at 10 percent, effective April 1, 2011. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent based on limited flexion was denied.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various conditions including knee disorders, a skin disorder, and a colon disorder due to incomplete information in the Veteran's file. The VA is instructed to obtain the Veteran's Social Security Administration (SSA) records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and knee conditions, preclude her from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the left knee disability and TDIU issues. The Board is dismissing these cases as a result.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's left knee and hip disorders are related to her service-connected left thigh disorder. The VA is required to provide a new opinion on this issue.

The Veteran's increased rating claims for right knee strain, lumbar strain, right wrist strain, and left wrist strain have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for endometriosis, migraine headaches, seizure disorder secondary to migraine headaches, right shoulder bicipital tendinitis, and left knee patellofemoral syndrome have been reopened.,Service connection has been granted for migraine headaches.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities have been rated at least 10 percent each since May 2, 2014. The AOJ increased the rating for each disability to 30 percent effective July 8, 2020. The Board denied higher ratings for both knees.

Your appeal has been dismissed as the Veteran requested to withdraw his appeals for service connection of left knee disability, cervical spine disability, bilateral leg disability, and bilateral ankle disability.

The Veteran's residuals of fracture left thumb (non-dominant) are rated at 10 percent based on painful motion. The appeal for a higher rating is denied.,The reduction in the disability rating for left knee instability from 10 percent to noncompensable without material improvement was improper, and restoration of the 10 percent rating is granted for the period from January 1, 2017 to May 1, 2022. The appeal for a higher rating since May 2, 2022 is denied.,Prior to May 2, 2022, the Veteran's left knee disability was manifested by no worse than flexion of 95 degrees with normal extension and slight instability. Since May 2, 2022, his disability is manifested by no worse than flexion limited to 20 degrees, extension limited to 10 degrees, and persistent instability due to an incomplete/partial ligament tear. The appeal for a higher rating since May 2, 2022 is denied.,For the entire period on appeal, the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not undergo actual improvement under ordinary conditions of life. The appeals for increased ratings are denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability, including his meniscal tear, degenerative arthritis, and total knee arthroplasty, is related to a post-service motor vehicle accident rather than service. The temporary total evaluation claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the service connection issue.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee disability, currently diagnosed as osteoarthritis, finding that it had its onset during active service and resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's right knee condition has been rated at 10 percent since July 9, 2013. The evidence does not support a higher rating as there is no indication of more severe symptoms such as dislocated semilunar cartilage or significant limitation in flexion and extension.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted an initial 70 percent rating, but not higher. The issues of increased ratings for bilateral knee chondromalacia have been remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right elbow disability was denied. The claims for increased ratings for left knee meniscectomy, DJD, limitation of extension, flexion, and instability were granted with effective dates as of June 26, 2015. The initial increased rating claim for right knee ligament tear was also granted but remains in appellate status.

The Board denied service connection for right ankle and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for direct service connection due to lack of in-service injury or disease. The claim for secondary service connection was also denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for shin splints of the right and left lower extremities, as well as right knee patellofemoral syndrome (PFS), have been denied. The evidence does not support a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development due to inadequate medical reports detailing the severity of his left knee disability.

The Veteran's service connection claims for rhinitis, an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD and major depressive disorder), a low back disability, a cervical spine disability, a bilateral knee disability, migraines, intestinal condition (colostomy bag), and cervical cancer are all granted.