Knee decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his left knee condition is being remanded due to the failure to comply with the examination request. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right and left knee disorders, cervical spine disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to in-service motor vehicle accident (MVA) and reported harassment.

The Board has denied service connection for right shoulder, right knee, right hip, left hip, and right testicle disorders due to a lack of evidence showing their onset within one year of discharge or causation during service.,The Veteran's failure to report for scheduled VA examinations prevented the Board from obtaining expert medical opinions on the etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral pes planus, low back disorder, right ankle degenerative arthritis, right shoulder degenerative arthritis (status post reverse total shoulder arthroplasty), left shoulder degenerative arthritis, right knee degenerative arthritis, and left knee degenerative arthritis. The rating assigned is 60 percent.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations. The current evidence does not provide sufficient information to determine if any service connection is warranted.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for various psoriatic arthritis disabilities, including cervical spine, left hand, right hand, left hip, right hip, and both knees. The rating assigned is 20 percent for each disability.

The Veteran's TDIU and DEA eligibility are denied as the evidence does not show that he was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to May 27, 2011.,The Board found no entitlement to TDIU prior to May 27, 2011, due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and his ability to engage in activities such as painting and working on cars.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding a disability evaluation in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the spine and lumbosacral strain. The Board has also remanded cases involving service connection for left knee, skin, and neck conditions due to insufficient medical evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error, requiring an addendum opinion on whether the Veteran's left below knee amputation was at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his undiagnosed manifestations of diabetes (or 'pre-diabetes') at the time of the left below knee amputation.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of July 17, 2008 for the grant of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance (A&A). The Veteran's need for regular aid and attendance was established by his inability to bathe himself, dress himself, and cut his food due to a knee arthroplasty.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a current disability within one year post-service.,Service connection for the left knee condition is denied due to lack of continuity of symptoms and negative findings during service. The Veteran's current complaints are attributed to post-service employment and weight gain.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left knee replacements, as well as his bilateral hearing loss, are related to service. The VA is required to schedule a VA examination for these claims due to the lack of an adequate medical opinion in the record.

The Veteran was unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD with depression, right and left knee replacements, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, degenerative arthritis of the spine, and syphilis. The Board granted a TDIU prior to June 28, 2010.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right knee, left knee, right leg, and left leg disabilities due to incomplete records from the Appellant's active duty for training with the Florida Army National Guard in Fort Knox, Kentucky. The AOJ is instructed to obtain all available service treatment records, including any 'profile' for these injuries, as well as X-rays and bone scans that may be stored at a medical facility on Fort Knox or elsewhere.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for patellofemoral pain syndrome (claimed as right and left knee conditions) have been denied because the Veteran failed to report for a scheduled VA examination, which was necessary to determine if his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities warranted an initial rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for his right knee disorder from June 12, 2007, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for at least a separate compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 5260 for lost flexion.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to inadequate VA examinations in December 2019, which did not address positive evidence of record.

The Veteran's initial and increased disability ratings for right knee PFPS and instability prior to May 2, 2022, as well as his separate compensable rating for instability since that date, have all been denied.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and bilateral knee disabilities are remanded for further evaluation due to the potential need for surgical intervention.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions and further development is required.