Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, as well as his claim for a TDIU. The remand is due to incomplete development of the evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded to allow for additional examinations and consideration of the evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected left ankle, knee, and hip disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU effective June 30, 2013.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for sleep apnea and right knee condition, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and requests for additional development.

The Veteran's left total knee replacement is rated at 60 percent from September 1, 2021 to July 22, 2022.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder due to new evidence submitted since previous decisions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep disorder, lumbar spine strain, radiculopathy of the lower extremities, left and right knee strains, migraine headaches, other residuals of TBI, and other specified trauma and/or stressor-related disorder may be related to his service in Southwest Asia or secondary to a service-connected disability. The Board has also noted that the Veteran's employment history needs to be verified for the TDIU claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis. The Veteran is requested to provide authorization for any relevant private treatment records and worker's compensation records.

The Veteran's claims for a temporary total evaluation based on treatment for his service-connected left hip disability and an initial compensable rating for his service-connected left hip limited flexion are both denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a temporary total evaluation under VA regulations, as the surgery was performed before he was service-connected for the condition necessitating the surgery. For the compensable rating claim, the Board determined that the evidence showed sufficient range of motion to deny a higher rating.

The Veteran's service connection claim for hearing loss is denied. The Board has also remanded the issues of increased ratings for back, left knee, left foot, and right foot disabilities due to inadequate examination findings.

The Board has denied service connection for a right foot disorder, left foot disorder, and right knee disorder due to lack of current diagnoses. The case is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the right knee disorder.

Service connection for a right shoulder disability, thoracic spine disability, and cervical spine disability has been denied.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) is remanded due to lack of current diagnoses.

The Veteran's claims for service connection on four issues (left knee condition, high blood pressure, right ankle condition, and sleep apnea) are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's back disorder is not found to be secondary to his service-connected left knee disability.,There is no current diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder alone precludes her from maintaining substantially gainful employment, and she is granted a TDIU rating. Additionally, the Veteran is granted SMC based on housebound status due to her other service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of March 1, 2018, for service connection for left knee instability has been granted.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee instability as of January 24, 2020, has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating for left knee instability prior to January 24, 2020, is remanded.

The claims for increased ratings of right knee instability and painful scar status post right tibia and fibula repair, as well as the initial compensable rating for coronary artery disease, are dismissed due to finality of the March 2023 decision.,The claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of coronary artery disease is granted based on a concession of exposure to herbicide agents in Guam.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current osteoarthritis of the left and right knees is related to his service, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for eligibility for specially adapted housing (SAH) or a special home adaptation (SHA) grant due to insufficient anatomical loss, blindness, burns, or other qualifying disabilities.