Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination and medical opinions to address whether the Veteran's right knee disability is related to service, his service-connected right ankle disability, or any other factors.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection and granted them, finding new and material evidence to support these claims. The appeals are remanded for further development regarding the right knee disability and memory loss/cognitive impairment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his right knee disability, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his in-service injury and his current condition.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee, right knee, and right eye disabilities. For hypertension, the claim was denied as there is no evidence of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more at any point during the appeal period.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various knee and hip disabilities, as well as a back disability. The issues are related to whether these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service, including during periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty training (INACDUTRA).

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated with a 10 percent rating for degenerative arthritis. The VA has granted separate ratings of 10 percent and 20 percent for limitation of extension and moderate instability, respectively.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including new VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected knee and hip disabilities. The issues include seeking increased disability ratings for right and left knee conditions, as well as a cervical spine condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions regarding his psychiatric, skin, neurological, digestive, and genitourinary disabilities. The orthopedic claims are also being remanded.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hemorrhoids, hysterectomy, migraine headaches, left knee condition, and anemia as the evidence did not support a current disability or link to service.,For each condition, the Board found that there was no competent evidence demonstrating a relationship between the claimed conditions and any incident of service.

The Veteran's left and right knee disabilities were not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active-duty service.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was also not shown to be causally or etiologically related to his active-duty service.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's left knee condition, finding that flexion was not limited to 30 degrees or extension limited to 15 degrees.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and remanded the issues of service connection for right and left knee conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee arthritis, right knee arthritis, neck pain due to degenerative disc disease, and a right shoulder condition based on insufficient evidence linking these conditions to her military service.

The Board has found the May 2023 opinion inadequate due to an inaccurate factual premise and has ordered a remand for an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran's left knee disability is related to service.

The Veteran's right knee disability and right ear hearing loss have been granted service connection. The increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence. The Veteran is granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD, but TDIU is granted.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities are rated at 30 percent, but the Board has granted a 60 percent rating for each knee starting from October 1, 2019. The case is remanded due to issues with entitlement to TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee condition is related to his active duty service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Board has denied service connection for a left knee condition and remanded the issue of an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for low back condition due to lack of VA medical records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an extension of a temporary total rating due to convalescence following his left knee surgery, finding no evidence of severe postoperative residuals or immobilization.