Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, and right knee disability due to insufficient opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions. The claims are also being remanded for a retrospective opinion on the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability.

The Board has denied service connection for the right knee disorder and remanded the issues of service connection for disorders of the left hand, right hand, left wrist, right wrist, left ankle, and right ankle. The Veteran's claims are being returned to VA for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's PTSD rating was restored to 70% effective August 26, 2017. The appeal for increased evaluations of other conditions and service connection claims were dismissed.

The Board has decided that service connection for a neck condition is denied. The decision also states that the claim for service connection for bilateral knee conditions should be remanded to allow for further examination and determination.

The appellant has withdrawn his appeals for the claims of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right knee disability, and left foot disability. The appeal is dismissed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left total knee replacement and left elbow dislocation, posttraumatic arthritis. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or were otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for recurrent hip and knee disabilities, as well as a recurrent lumbar spine disability and obstructive sleep apnea due to potential errors in the initial decision.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for bladder cancer is granted as a complete grant of the benefits sought on appeal.,New and relevant evidence has been received to establish service connection for sleep apnea, secondary to intermittent explosive disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU was denied, and the July 2022 rating decision granted increased ratings for his major depressive disorder and knee gout.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a back disorder, left knee disorder, blood clots, and bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence received since the August 2019 rating decision. The claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disorder is not being readjudicated as there was no new and relevant evidence submitted.

The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and therefore, service connection for PTSD is denied. The Board also found that there was no evidence to support the Veteran's claim for service connection for his torn meniscus with limited range of motion in the left knee due to lack of an adequate VA examination prior to the May 2019 rating decision on appeal.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle sprain residuals, severe right ankle sprain residuals with possible stress fracture, a left knee disability, and a right knee disability. The Board found no current disabilities in these areas.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, headache disorder, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to the preexisting nature of these conditions and lack of evidence showing they were aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining updated treatment records. The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected right and left knee disabilities are being reviewed.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient examination regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine/radiculopathy condition aggravated his left knee disability. The Veteran needs to provide additional medical evidence and a new opinion is required.

The Veteran's left and right knee degenerative arthritis, as well as his left ankle strain, are all granted with specific ratings. The Veteran is awarded a separate 10 percent rating for instability in the right knee, and a 20 percent rating for left ankle strain.

The Board has dismissed all issues on appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome were denied.,Service connection was granted for bilateral patellofemoral pain syndrome in July 1998, but the RO assigned a noncompensable disability evaluation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete records, including missing service treatment records. The Veteran is asked to provide releases for private medical records and complete VA Forms 21-4142.

The Board has denied service connection for a left knee disability and a right knee osteoarthritis, finding that the evidence does not support a direct relationship to active duty service.