Knee decisions — 2022

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, diagnosed as meniscal tear and degenerative arthritis, finding that it is related to her active duty service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, gastrointestinal disorder, gastroesophageal disorder, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to unclear medical opinions and need for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee disability is granted. The claim for an initial rating greater than 10 percent for mild lumbosacral strain is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left total knee replacement as a residual of meniscal tear and osteoarthritis, finding that there was no evidence to support aggravation of her pre-existing condition during periods of active duty training.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities were denied increased ratings prior to April 19, 2021. Since then, the Veteran was granted a higher rating for her knees.,Service connection for a GI disorder was denied in 1999 and remains denied as new evidence did not establish a current disability.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral knee arthritis, diabetes with kidney disease, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and stroke have all been granted due to evidence showing a relationship between these conditions and his active duty service.,Service connection is also granted on a presumptive basis for diabetes with kidney disease as it is associated with exposure to herbicide agents.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted a 70% rating from July 22, 2015. The ratings for sciatic radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities are denied. The rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis is also denied.

The Veteran's claims of increased ratings for lumbar spine, bilateral knees, and bilateral shin splints are being remanded due to the need for consideration of recent VA treatment records and examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to determine the current severity of his service-connected left knee disability and address issues related to TDIU and SMC.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disorders, as well as an acquired psychiatric disorder due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right eye disability, bilateral foot condition, back disability, right ankle and knee disabilities, bronchitis, and left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome. The reasons given were lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the issues of disability ratings for left knee degenerative joint disease and TDIU prior to September 2, 2010.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for clothing allowances in 2016 due to his use of knee braces and topical medication for service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding these issues.

The Board has determined that an earlier effective date prior to April 27, 2015 for service connection of a back disability is denied. The claims for left knee and right knee disabilities as well as headaches are remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.

The Veteran's claim for a 70 percent rating for generalized anxiety disorder is granted, subject to the criteria governing the payment of monetary benefits. The claims for service connection for left knee injury, right knee injury, and herniated disc are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his right leg shin splints and 4th metatarsal stress fracture of the right foot have been granted, with a 10 percent rating assigned for each condition.

The Veteran's low back disability, bilateral knee disabilities (right and left), and psychiatric disability are all granted as secondary to service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right and left knee patellofemoral syndrome were denied as the evidence did not show that his disabilities warranted a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's right knee disability, characterized by chronic mild residual strain and degenerative joint disease, is currently rated at 30 percent from April 1, 2020. The Board found that the current rating adequately reflects his symptoms and does not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's lumbar spine, left knee, and left ankle/foot disabilities and her active service.