Knee decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left knee condition, right knee condition, and low back condition due to insufficient opinions regarding their relationship to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to scheduling issues and lack of substantial compliance with prior remand directives.

The Veteran's claims for various disabilities, including psoriasis and left eye visual acuity loss, are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.,The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of a left index finger injury is also remanded as it may be related to his right knee disability.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is also remanded as it could impact other claims.

The Board has remanded the claims for a right knee and bilateral hip disorders, finding that additional development is needed to determine their etiology and whether they are secondary to service-connected left knee disabilities.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and medical opinions regarding his service-connected disabilities, as well as clarification of the evidence submitted.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for his service-connected left knee disability prior to September 7, 2016 was denied as the evidence did not show that he could not secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic sinusitis, chronic bronchitis under the PACT Act of 2022, asthma, bilateral knee disabilities, and TMJ dysfunction are all granted. The Veteran served in Afghanistan from May to November 2011, qualifying him for presumptive exposure to fine particulate matter from burn pits.

The Board denied service connection for joint pain, GERD and hiatal hernia, and sleeping disorder due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions began during active service or were related to in-service injuries.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for separate and/or higher evaluations for post-operative residuals of left knee meniscectomy on an extraschedular basis, but has remanded the issue of entitlement to a total disability evaluation due to individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extraschedular basis prior to May 30, 2017. The Veteran's claim for TDIU is now referred to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration.

The Veteran's left knee disability and heart condition have been denied.,The Veteran's hammertoes with gout and right knee strain are being remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease, bilateral knee disability, and lumbar spine disability have been granted.,A separate claim for a TDIU is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development due to inadequate medical examination and other procedural issues.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new and material evidence having been received. The Veteran's back, bilateral knee, and bilateral ankle disabilities are being reviewed again.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and right shoulder disabilities due to lack of in-service records. The VA is instructed to attempt to obtain these records and, if possible, provide the Veteran with VA examinations.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disorder, finding that the Veteran's reported in-service injury did not result in a chronic condition and there was no evidence of such a condition within one year after separation from service. The examiner concluded that the current right knee disorder is less likely related to active duty service.

The Board has ordered that the portion of the October 2021 decision denying an increase in excess of 10 percent for left knee flexion be vacated and remanded for further development. The Veteran's appeal is now on remand due to concerns about the adequacy of the May 2021 VA examination.

The Veteran's right shoulder tendonitis and back disability have been rated at the maximum available under VA regulations, with no evidence of ankylosis or other conditions warranting higher ratings.,For her lower extremity radiculopathy, a separate rating is granted from January 31, 2014 to June 13, 2016; however, a higher rating is denied after that period.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and examination due to inadequate VA examination in June 2015. The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities are being reviewed again to determine if they are related to his service-connected ankle disabilities or if they were caused by them.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and lumbar spine disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or chronic disability within a year of separation from service. The Board also found insufficient medical opinion to establish a nexus between current conditions and service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for heart disorder and bilateral knee disabilities due to his failure to appear for VA examinations. The appeals are now pending again.