Knee decisions — 2022

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral leg pain, including claudication and bilateral knee disorders as secondary to service-connected PTSD due to personal trauma with TBI. The claim of service connection for hypertension is also denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to deficiencies in previous opinions regarding service connection for hypertension, low back disability, and right knee disability.

The Board granted increased ratings of 30 percent for right knee instability/subluxation and left knee instability/subluxation, and additional ratings of 20 percent for right and left knee cartilage disabilities. The rating for left knee limitation of extension was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates are being remanded due to the addition of new evidence not previously considered by the AOJ.

The Board denied service connection for left knee and lumbar spine disabilities, finding no evidence of a direct relationship to service. Service connection for psychiatric disability was also denied due to lack of corroborated stressor events.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral knee disorder and lumbar spine disorder. The VA is required to provide new medical opinions that consider the Veteran's lay statements about his in-service injuries.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's left knee disability, specifically his partial knee replacement.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee condition has been reopened and granted. The appeal for service connection for a left knee condition is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic pain syndrome is related to his service-connected disabilities and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for recurrent shoulder, hip, and left knee disabilities are being remanded due to insufficient examination reports and the need for additional medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal for service connection for short-term memory loss, right hip disability, left hip disability, and left knee disability is remanded due to insufficient evidence. The appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and diabetes mellitus, type II are also remanded as VA examinations are needed to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded due to insufficient discussion of instability and subluxation in the Veteran's knee conditions, specifically left knee osteoarthritis and right knee patellar bone spur.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for osteoporosis of the bones, including pain in his back, legs/knees, feet, shoulders, and neck, is denied as there is no current diagnosis of osteoporosis and the Board finds that any diagnosed conditions are not related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examinations and evaluations due to his knee, lumbar spine, left lower extremity sensory deficits, and other disabilities. The issues of increased ratings remain pending.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to an inadequate VA examination in its September 2021 decision. The Veteran is seeking a higher evaluation for his right knee disability, which includes post-operative residuals and a meniscal tear.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding whether the Veteran's left knee condition is directly attributable to her military service, caused by or aggravated by her service-connected degenerative disc disease, lower back with degenerative arthritis, or any other service-connected disability.

The Veteran's service-connected hip, back, and knee disabilities make it impossible for him to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has remanded the case to consider whether an extraschedular TDIU rating is warranted.

The Board denied service connection for a chronic eye disability, thyroid disease, and skin disorder including rash on the neck due to lack of evidence of current disabilities.,Service connection was remanded for further examination and opinion regarding thyroid disease, skin disorder including rash on the neck, rectal cancer/loss of colon, painful joints, and dizziness.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability was granted effective March 13, 2013. This is the earliest possible effective date given his most recent claim to reopen on that day.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee arthritis and an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for left knee instability due to insufficient evidence from previous examinations.