Knee decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee conditions due to incomplete VA records and inadequate examination opinions. The AOJ is instructed to obtain relevant medical records, including those from Miami VAMC, and schedule an adequate examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's knee conditions.

The Board has found that further development is needed to determine the relationship between the Veteran's bilateral knee conditions and his service, including any in-service motor vehicle accidents. The claims are being remanded for additional medical opinions.

The Board has dismissed all appeals related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to his death.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any left ankle, left knee, or heart disabilities. The appeal will be remanded for these purposes.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbar spine and bilateral knee conditions due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The case is returned for further development.

The Veteran's right knee flexion disability was rated at 10 percent prior to December 27, 2019, and increased to 40 percent thereafter. The extension disability remained at 40 percent.

The Veteran is granted entitlement to TDIU as of April 11, 2017 and from August 1, 2015 to April 10, 2017. The claim for TDIU prior to August 1, 2015 is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further evaluation of several service-connected conditions, including recurrent leg and sleep disabilities. The Board also notes that the combined rating for all service-connected disabilities has not yet reached a level sufficient to warrant a TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his left knee disability due to inadequate examination and issues with separate compensable ratings under specific DCs. The case is being returned for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, right foot achilles tendonitis, right knee S/P ACL repair, and s/p puncture Wound w/ I&D procedure w/residual (claimed as right foot injury). The reasons given were that there was no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service incurrence of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD has been granted. The Board found that the Veteran experienced continuous symptoms of reflux and heartburn since service, which is considered a diagnosed illness rather than a MUCMI. For the musculoskeletal issues (back arthritis, bilateral shoulder arthritis, bilateral knee arthritis, and bilateral hip strain), the claim was remanded for further development as the previous opinions were deemed inadequate.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's right knee, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, PTSD, and left shoulder disabilities due to incomplete development of records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left knee, hip, and lumbar spine disabilities due to insufficient reasons provided in the previous decision. The Veteran's claim will be reviewed again with an addendum opinion from a medical professional.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no one has been substituted in the claim.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations conducted in July 2021 are inadequate and requires new examinations to address the Veteran's claims for service connection. The issues of entitlement to service connection for various disabilities have been remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for sinus disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and knee disabilities. The Board also directed further VA examinations to assess the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and foot conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral foot disability and left knee disability are granted as service connected. The Board found that the evidence was at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's disabilities had their onset during service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as his combined rating is only 60 percent, which does not rise to the threshold needed. The Board found that there was no evidence of inability to work due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequate examination and need for further development, including a new VA examination with radiographic imaging.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's knee, hip, and shoulder disabilities are not related to his service due to incomplete medical opinions. The claims for these conditions are being remanded for further development.