Knee decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate examination reports and new evidence may be needed. The Veteran is seeking service connection for left wrist, right knee, and headache disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar spine and bilateral knee disabilities. The claims are being returned to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for additional development.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a left knee disorder, finding new and material evidence. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical records and schedule an examination.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for hypertension, and further examinations are needed to determine if his current shoulder, knee, ankle, or foot conditions were incurred in service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since August 13, 2012. The Board has granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis from that date.

The Veteran's claims for clothing allowances related to bilateral wrist and thumb braces, bilateral knee braces, and ammonium lactate topical medication were granted. The claim for shoe inserts was denied as they do not qualify as outer garments for which a clothing allowance may be paid.

The Veteran's initial evaluations for left knee strain and instability have been denied as the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for bilateral knee disabilities due to inadequate examination reports and need for additional medical evidence. The Veteran's knees are not currently evaluated based on a service connection theory other than direct service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board has determined that additional development is needed due to lack of VA examinations and new evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU related to his left knee disability are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and assessment.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his right knee and left ankle disabilities have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his right knee disability, as it only warranted a 10 percent rating prior to September 27, 2019, and a 60 percent rating thereafter. For his left ankle disability, he was granted a 100 percent rating from August 17, 2018, but the Board found that the evidence did not support an even higher 30 percent rating due to marked limitation of motion of the ankle.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to service, including his parachute jumps. The claims for service connection have been remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for initial ratings greater than 10 percent for left knee instability and right knee instability, finding that his symptoms did not warrant higher ratings based on the current evidence of record.

The Board has dismissed all issues of service connection and rating as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) has been remanded due to the need for extraschedular consideration. The Board found that the Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU as of October 22, 2018, but did not meet it prior to that date.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection based on a finding of continuous symptoms since service. The right shoulder, left ankle, and knee disorders were denied as not incurred in service.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as a back disability and an acquired psychiatric disability (including depressive disorder and other specified stressor disorder). The case is being remanded to obtain updated VA treatment records and schedule the Veteran for a VA examination regarding her heart disability.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for acquired psychiatric disorders, back disorders, sleep disorders, right knee disorders, and left knee disorders due to additional VA-developed evidence not having been considered in a Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis, finding that the Veteran's current disability is related to her military service.

The Board has ordered a remand for the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral knee disability, which is currently secondary to his service-connected pes planus. The remand requires another VA examination and opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's current bilateral knee disability, with particular attention given to the evidence suggestive of a gait abnormality caused by his service-connected pes planus.