Knee decisions — 2022

The Board denied service connection for left knee, right knee, and right ankle disorders as well as sleep disorder due to lack of evidence showing onset or aggravation during periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented her from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation for the period prior to April 1, 2021. From April 1, 2021 onward, the evidence is at least in approximate balance and the benefit of the doubt will be afforded to the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient rationale in previous opinions and the need for additional medical examinations.

The Board granted service connection for a left knee disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disorder, and also granted service connection for a pelvis disorder as secondary to his service-connected right knee disorder. The effective date is not specified.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for right thigh/leg condition, right ankle condition, and left knee/leg condition due to insufficient evidence in previous VA examinations. The Veteran's conditions are causing constant pain and discomfort.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for lower back, skin, and right knee conditions due to inadequate medical opinions in previous decisions.

The Veteran's cervical spine spondylosis is rated at 100% from March 4, 2021. His right knee degenerative arthritis is rated at 30% effective April 9, 2021.

The Veteran's cervical spine spondylosis was granted a 100% disability rating from March 4, 2021.,The Veteran's right knee degenerative arthritis was granted a 30% disability rating from April 9, 2021.

The Veteran's cervical spine spondylosis is rated at 100% from March 4, 2021. His right knee degenerative arthritis is rated at 30% effective April 9, 2021.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to inadequate VA examinations and failure to consider functional loss caused by pain.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work experience. Therefore, the claim for a TDIU is denied.

The appeal for service connection for right knee disability and left knee disability is dismissed. The appeal for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is remanded.

The Veteran's chronic anterior uveitis is granted as secondary to her service-connected headaches.,The Veteran's right and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome are each rated at 10 percent, with no higher rating possible under the schedular criteria.,The Veteran's headaches are currently rated at 50 percent on a schedular basis. The Board finds that an extraschedular evaluation is not warranted for this condition.,The Veteran's headaches have been found to be productive of severe economic inadaptability, warranting the maximum 50 percent rating.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for cervical spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities as secondary to service-connected hepatitis C due to new evidence presented in his September 2022 Appellate brief.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete verification of his claimed periods of active duty and additional verified service records are needed. The AOJ must readjudicate the claims with consideration of all available evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings have been granted, with effective dates ranging from September 30, 2014 to January 1, 2018. The grants include a 30 percent rating for residuals of right foot strain and left foot strain, as well as a TDIU effective January 1, 2018.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the issues on appeal, including a new VA examination to evaluate the current level of severity of the service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to a procedural issue regarding the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal for separate ratings for right and left knee instability, which he was already receiving maximum allowable ratings for loss of use of both lower extremities.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and left knee patellofemoral syndrome was denied. The rating for the lumbar spine condition prior to August 1, 2022 is still denied.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, specifically degenerative arthritis of the spine with IVDS, left knee meniscus tear and Baker's cyst with degenerative changes, right knee degenerative arthritis, and left and right lower extremity sciatic and femoral nerve paralysis disabilities. Obesity was considered an intermediate step in this progression.