Knee decisions — 2022

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, as well as his left hip disability, are granted service connection due to their presumptive relationship to his service in the Southwest Asia theater.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities necessitate the need for regular aid and attendance of another person, which is granted.

The Veteran's right hip and left hip disabilities are being remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his service-connected right ankle disability.,The Veteran's right knee and left knee disabilities are also being remanded for further examination to determine if they are related to his service-connected right ankle disability.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and left shoulder disabilities due to new evidence received since the last denial. The cases are now remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations.

The Board dismissed all issues related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions due to his death.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to ensure compliance with prior remand directives, and the case is being returned for further examination.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral knee disabilities and low back disability due to insufficient medical opinions. The Veteran's representative argued that his orthopedic disabilities were caused by an antalgic gait resulting from his service-connected pes planus, but the VA examiner did not address this theory in their opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to lack of substantial compliance with previous directives and inconsistencies in the examination report. A new VA examination is required to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities.

The Veteran's lumbar disability was previously rated at 20 percent, but the Board found that a higher rating is not warranted due to limited range of motion and pain.,The Veteran's right knee disability was also previously rated at 10 percent, with no evidence supporting a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis is granted. The Board also grants the Veteran's claim for aggravation of his pre-existing rheumatoid arthritis by service, but remands the issue of service connection for lower extremity conditions other than rheumatoid arthritis.

The Board denied separate compensable evaluations for right knee conditions and service connection for a left knee disability. The Veteran's left knee condition is now granted.

The Veteran's left hip bursitis and tendonitis, limited abduction, is granted a separate rating of 20 percent prior to March 18, 2022.,From March 18, 2022, the maximum schedular rating for left hip bursitis and tendonitis, limited abduction, is granted at 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability, left knee disability, and back disability due to incomplete development. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for these conditions as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease that caused or aggravated his current disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for an addendum medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, specifically PTSD and right knee condition, caused or aggravated his obesity. The examiner is asked to determine if obesity was a substantial factor in causing sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right shoulder, left shoulder, right ankle, left ankle, right knee, left knee, low back, cervical spine, and acquired psychiatric disorders (including PTSD) due to a lack of VA treatment records and potential stressor verification.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment from October 1, 2014, to July 8, 2020. A total disability rating based on individual unemployability is granted during this period.

The Veteran's right knee strain has been rated at 10 percent since September 5, 2018. The rating is granted for the initial period from September 25, 2016 to September 5, 2018.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for allergic rhinitis, back disability, and bilateral knee disability due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine and remanded the issue of service connection for a bilateral knee disorder.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for right and left knee conditions due to insufficient reasoning in a previous VA examination.