Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to inadequate opinions regarding causation and aggravation.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bronchial asthma and left knee disorder was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions. The case will be reviewed again with additional examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and left hip and left knee disabilities, finding no evidence of a current disability. The case is remanded to obtain medical opinions regarding whether these conditions are related to service or secondary to other service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and back disability have been reopened, and the Board has found that these conditions are related to his military service. The claim for TDIU is also remanded.,The VA will provide an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's back disability was caused by or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and TDIU has been granted. The left knee meniscectomy residuals, right knee osteoarthritis (rated as limitation of flexion), and right knee total arthroplasty have all received appropriate ratings.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a left knee disorder was dismissed due to his death in October 2021.

The Board has determined that the claims of service connection for bilateral hip, knee, neck, and low back disorders must be remanded due to inadequate opinions from previous VA examiners. New examinations are needed to determine if these conditions are related to the Veteran's period of service.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent prior to June 10, 2022, and at 70 percent thereafter. The Veteran's right knee chondromalacia is currently rated at 10 percent prior to June 2, 2022, and at 40 percent thereafter.,The VA has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating for PTSD or right knee chondromalacia based on the severity of his symptoms.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's low back and left knee disabilities are not service-connected as secondary to his service-connected bilateral ankle disabilities. The decision is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for his left knee disability due to scheduling issues with an MRI. The appeal is still pending and requires further development.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for higher initial ratings for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss. The right knee and left knee disability claims are remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hip condition, sinus condition, congenital hypothyroidism, neck condition, and left knee condition have been withdrawn. The claims of service connection for a neck condition and a left knee condition are remanded due to the submission of new evidence material to these claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a left knee disability and secondary service connection for a low back disability, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) throughout the appeal period, finding that his service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and following gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities due to incomplete service personnel records and a need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeals for several of the service-connected conditions and rating increases.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of service connection for low back, left knee, left hip, and right hip disabilities due to missing VA treatment records from October 2018 to July 2020. These records are necessary to evaluate the probative value of a clinician's opinion.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations conducted are inadequate and remands the cases for further development, including obtaining an adequate VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral knee disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of major depressive disorder and has remanded his claims regarding right knee, left knee, right hip, and bilateral foot disabilities due to insufficient evidence.