Knee decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for entitlement under 38 U.S.C. 1151 for a right knee injury due to incomplete adjudication of whether it was a referral for treatment and if the facility should be treated as a VA facility providing 'hospital care'.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right knee strains have been denied as the evidence does not meet the criteria for a rating greater than 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions provided by VA examiners.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and reasoning in previous decisions. The Veteran's left knee condition, including osteoarthritis, is now subject to further review with consideration of his lay statements regarding service-related aggravation.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of evidence regarding the Veteran's right knee disability, specifically the range of motion testing and its impact on functional loss.

The Veteran's bilateral chondromalacia patella was denied a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to November 17, 2014.,The Veteran's left knee postoperative chondromalacia patella was denied a rating in excess of 10 percent from November 17, 2014 onward.,The Veteran's right knee postoperative chondromalacia patella was denied a rating in excess of 10 percent from November 17, 2014 onward.

The Board has remanded the claims due to additional evidence being added to the file after a previous SSOC was issued.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The appeal is limited to the initial compensable rating for status post recurrent heat exhaustion, which was denied.

The Board has remanded the claims due to inadequate reasons and bases for denying service connection, specifically because the Veteran did not have good cause for missing his VA examinations. The case is being returned to the Board for further development.

The Veteran's PTSD and TBI residuals are rated at 50 percent, effective from the date of the decision.,Prior to February 9, 2017, the Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis is rated at 10 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for extraschedular ratings for his lumbar spine and left knee disabilities, finding that the available schedular ratings adequately described his disability levels.

The Veteran's left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and limitation of extension due to the condition are both rated at 20 percent, effective as of the date of this decision.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hand disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, right foot disability, and left foot disability as there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service injury that caused these conditions.,Service treatment records did not show any diagnosed hand disabilities. The Veteran's claims are based on his statements regarding observable symptoms during service.

The Board denied reopening the claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability and found that new and material evidence has not been presented. The claims for PTSD, TBI, back disability, left knee disability, chronic pain syndrome, increased rating for right shoulder arthritis with impingement, and TDIU are all remanded.

The Veteran's right knee meniscal tear and osteoarthritis, as well as his left knee meniscal tear (prior to September 1, 2019), were granted separate disability ratings. The Veteran's right knee replacement surgery resulted in a 60% rating beginning September 1, 2019. His bilateral plantar fasciitis and foot disabilities were denied initial higher ratings.

The Board has decided to remand the service connection claims for right and left knee disabilities due to incomplete records. The Veteran's private treatment records are needed, as they may contain relevant information.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for major depressive disorder has been reopened and granted.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2, coronary artery disease, restrictive lung disease, right knee arthralgia, and residuals of left tibia fracture have been remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information regarding the Veteran's employment status, income/net worth, and psychiatric disability. The Veteran will need to provide updated VA treatment records and complete forms for private medical providers.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee conditions, finding that any pre-existing conditions did not increase in severity during active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to a lack of adequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions.