Knee decisions — 2022

The Board has found new and relevant evidence for the claim of service connection for COPD, but remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the right knee and left knee disabilities. The Veteran's asthma is rated at 30%.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection and financial assistance due to procedural issues, and will remand these claims under the legacy system.

The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis with tendonitis is not rated higher than 10 percent.,The Veteran's left knee, post-surgical patellar fracture with residual hardware and arthritis, is also not rated higher than 10 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disability, left ankle disability, and left shoulder disability. The Board found that there was no evidence of chronicity or continuity of symptomatology after service.,The Board also denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder scar as it is considered a residual from his non-service-connected left shoulder rotator cuff repair surgery.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability was denied, and the request to withdraw his TDIU claim is now dismissed. The appeal for a higher rating of his right ankle disability remains pending.

The Veteran's combined rating for service-connected disabilities is 60 percent, which meets the criteria for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis due to his PTSD and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and other service-connected conditions render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.,The Veteran is currently rated at 30 percent for his combined service-connected disabilities, which includes bilateral hearing loss (20%), tinnitus (10%), osteoarthritis of the left knee (10%), degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with limited extension of right knee (10%), limited extension of left and right knees (10% each), and osteoarthritis of the left and right ankles (10%).

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for sinusitis, pseudofolliculitis barbae, back condition, right knee condition, left knee condition, rhinitis, and bilateral foot pain/condition due to duty to assist errors.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits are granted.

The Veteran's SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance of another person or being housebound from December 1, 2018 to July 7, 2020 was denied as he did not meet the criteria for such benefits due to his functional limitations.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence was received after the final April 2008 denial, warranting readjudication of the claim for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities. The low back disability is granted as related to parachute jumps in service. Service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right knee is also granted. However, the claims for chronic sinusitis and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities are remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and occupational experience during the period on appeal prior to October 1, 2016. Therefore, TDIU was denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions. The issues include TBI residuals, a headache disability, back disability, left knee disability, and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings due to failure to comply with prior remand directives and issues related to VA examinations. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities include L4-L5 space narrowing degenerative arthritis, radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, traumatic arthritis of the right shoulder based on limited range of motion, left knee disability based on limitation of motion, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and a need for another VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to September 6, 2017.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his right and left knee disabilities, finding that they did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's increased rating claim for his right knee disability is being remanded due to the need for clarification of medical testing results and a new examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and requests a new examination to determine if the Veteran's right knee disability is related to service.