Knee decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for left knee disability status post total knee replacement is denied as the earliest pending claim was received on August 31, 2022.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions to address the etiology of his diagnosed conditions, including vertigo. The claims are also remanded for further development regarding service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings and service connection, as they involve issues not related to service connection.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to the scheduled hearing, thus the case is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient consideration of lay statements and potential toxic exposure. The VA is required to obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of OSA, right knee disability, and left knee disability.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left knee disability, right knee disability, left thumb disability, tension headaches, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, and high cholesterol.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for an evaluation in excess of 60 percent for degenerative joint disease left knee status post total left knee replacement due to a withdrawal by the appellant or his representative.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his current knee conditions, which he attributes to injuries sustained during military service.

The Board has granted service connection for neck and back disabilities, but denied service connection for left and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected erectile dysfunction is granted as secondary to his service-connected generalized anxiety disorder. The initial rating for right knee strain with meniscal tear, status post partial meniscectomy, remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right knee osteoarthritis, left and right shoulder impingement syndrome, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, radiculopathy in the right lower extremity, femoral nerve radiculopathy, and right hip trochanteric syndrome with osteoarthritis, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. As such, he is granted TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his right and left knee patellofemoral syndrome, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of the current 10 percent ratings. Separate 10 percent ratings were granted for instability of each knee.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection of back condition and right knee disorder before the Board could make a decision.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left knee disability, finding that his condition was incurred in service and is related to his active duty.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including back disability, neck disability, left knee disability, psychiatric disability, skin disability, respiratory disability (to include asbestosis), tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence did not meet the regulatory threshold for these disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment from June 7, 2017, to May 17, 2018.

The Board has determined that there are outstanding records of VA treatment that should be obtained and added to the claims file. The Veteran's complete and updated records of VA treatment should be requested and associated with the claims file.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied, and the Board found no basis to assign an earlier effective date.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete VA examination reports and outstanding treatment records.

The Board has denied service connection for low back and bilateral knee disabilities, finding that the current conditions are not related to military service.