Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and need for further development. The Veteran's right knee disability is being reviewed again.

The Veteran's service connection claims for residuals of a right hamstring disability and a right knee disability are both granted. The Board found that the Veteran's right hamstring condition had its onset during service, while the right knee condition was related to his reported in-service incident.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to obtain the Veteran's service treatment records (STRs) and to determine if his low back, right knee, left knee, stomach disability, and soft tissue sarcoma are related to his military service. The decision is remanded for these purposes.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as his claim for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent for body dysmorphic disorder. The TDIU prior to August 5, 2015, is also being remanded due to its inextricability with the other claims.

The Veteran's claims for lipomas and cysts, left knee tendonitis, and right knee tendonitis have all been denied.,Service connection has not been established for any of the conditions listed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including headaches, back pain, and knee disability, prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted TDIU from March 6, 2015, but the case is remanded for further evaluation of his lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for right shoulder calcific tendinitis and initial disability ratings for his right knee conditions have been denied. The right shoulder is rated at 30 percent, while the right knee has been granted a 10 percent rating from February 28, 1985; a 20 percent rating from March 27, 1987 (excluding a period of temporary total rating); and a 30 percent rating since April 23, 2007.

The Veteran's claimed foot, knee, shoulder, and lumbar spine disabilities are not service-connected as they do not have a direct link to his military service. The headaches also lack a service connection due to the absence of evidence linking them to service.

The Veteran's left knee disability has been rated based on limitation of motion and instability. The appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral ear disability, tinnitus, sleep disorder, right knee disability, and left knee strain with degenerative arthritis due to incomplete development of records and inadequate medical opinions. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's right knee strain and left knee chondromalacia are service connected. However, the claim for bilateral upper extremity neuropathy is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has determined that the remand directives have not been completed as directed and another remand is necessary to obtain adequate opinions regarding service connection, secondary service connection, and obesity as an intermediate step in the development of left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral knee degenerative joint disease (DJD) due to incomplete compliance with prior remand directives and a need for additional opinions.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection of a left knee disorder due to his withdrawal request. The issues of entitlement to service connection for low back, neck, and right shoulder disorders have been remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional development due to concerns about the competence of the December 2019 VA examiner and the need to consider the Veteran's self-reported lay histories in providing examination opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral knee, left foot, and nerve conditions are remanded for further examination to determine their etiology.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board denied his claim for TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbar-spine disorder, right-knee conditions, and left-knee total right-knee replacement due to insufficient examination findings.

The Board has remanded multiple claims for additional development, including those related to the Veteran's low back strain, left knee condition, bilateral pes planus, and left foot pes planus. The effective date for Dependent's Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits is also in dispute.

The Board has remanded the claims for a left knee disorder and TDIU due to insufficient examination reports addressing the Veteran's recurrent pain, and for obtaining SSA earnings statements from 2012 to 2018.