Knee decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee and thoracolumbar spine DJD with DDD were denied. For the right knee, a rating in excess of 10 percent was denied. Prior to April 3, 2017, an initial rating of 20 percent for thoracolumbar spine DJD with DDD was granted. From April 3, 2017 to April 23, 2019, a higher evaluation than 20 percent was denied.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for right shoulder, left knee, right ankle, and scar on the right hand disorders due to incomplete records. Further development is required.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for right shoulder acromioclavicular joint sprain has been dismissed.,Service connection for tinnitus is denied as the condition did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of separation from active duty and there is no evidence of noise exposure during service.,The Veteran's headache disorder, including as secondary to PTSD, is remanded for further evaluation.,The Veteran's right knee, left knee, right hip, and left hip disorders are remanded for further evaluation.,The Veteran's left shoulder disorder is also remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal regarding the rating for major depressive disorder and the service connection claim for a right knee disorder, which was remanded by the Board. As a result, the appeal is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to initial ratings for degenerative changes with chondromalacia patella, left and right knees due to deficiencies in the record and need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for prostate cancer, skin cancer, testicular cancer, erectile dysfunction (ED), back disability, and left knee disability due to insufficient VA examination reports. The Veteran asserts that his current disabilities are causally related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp LeJeune during service.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal for increased ratings and other issues related to his hip disabilities, carpal tunnel syndrome, knee disability, hand disability, hypertension, effective date of service connection, and reopening the claim for hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain his Social Security Administration (SSA) records, which may contain relevant information for his service connection claims.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities are granted at a 20 percent rating prior to January 29, 2020. Ratings in excess of 20 percent for either knee after that date are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's claimed conditions and awarded effective dates of July 31, 2014. The decision is based on newly associated STRs that were not previously considered.

The Board has granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from October 31, 2003, finding that the Veteran's service-connected back and bilateral knee disabilities have prevented him from finding and maintaining gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his right knee disability due to inadequate examination and need for further development.

The Veteran withdrew her claims for increased evaluations on multiple knee and shoulder conditions, resulting in the dismissal of these appeals.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to conflicting opinions on whether service-connected psychiatric disability caused or aggravated the Veteran's claimed disabilities.

The Board has remanded the cases due to the need to issue a Statement of the Case (SOC) for the issues of entitlement to service connection for right and left knee conditions, bilateral hearing loss, and a right ankle condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, bilateral hip strain, bilateral knee arthritis, and cervical spine degenerative disc disease due to inadequate or missing VA opinions on causation and aggravation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left knee disability, finding that there is no evidence showing it was incurred or aggravated during active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and right hip disabilities due to insufficient evidence. The claims will be reconsidered after obtaining VA treatment records and conducting a VA examination.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's left shoulder, left knee, and left arm disabilities are not service-connected as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability. The decision is remanded for further review.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and conducting additional examinations. The Veteran seeks increased ratings for his service-connected TBI but the evidence does not support a higher rating.