Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee conditions, as secondary to service-connected conditions. The AOJ is instructed to obtain etiological opinions that substantially comply with the November 2022 remand directives.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee and hammer toe with degenerative arthritis of the right first MTP joint due to incomplete records, need for additional examinations, and potential Reserve records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability and a lumbar spine disability due to inadequate medical opinions and lack of an examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, and Right Knee Disability is granted. The cases are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine the etiology of these conditions.

The appeal is dismissed due to the death of the appellant, and no service connection decision was made.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, and left ear hearing loss disability due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including limitation of flexion and extension, dislocated semilunar cartilage prior to July 16, 2018, and removal of semilunar cartilage effective from that date, is rated at a 30 percent evaluation.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU on an extraschedular basis from September 5, 2015 to July 18, 2022 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including low back disorder, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral pes planus with arthritis, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, headaches, multiple sclerosis (MS), ischemic heart disease (IHD), and prostate disorder. The reasons given were that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or in-service exposure.

The Veteran's vertigo is granted as service-connected. An initial compensable rating for the abdominal scar is denied, but a separate 10 percent rating for painful scar as of February 8, 2022, is granted. Service connection for dyspnea (claimed as asthma), right shoulder condition, bilateral pes planus, left knee condition, and right ankle condition are all remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during the appeal period.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during the appeal period.

The Board has denied service connection for a left knee disability and remanded the right knee disability claim.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for right shoulder scar, bilateral knee disability, low back disability, and bilateral ankle disability. The appeal for sleep apnea is remanded.

The Veteran's GERD with hiatal hernia is granted an initial 30 percent rating, effective from the date of the decision. The ratings for cervical strain with IVDS and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine are denied prior to October 19, 2021, but granted thereafter. Separate ratings for left hip bursitis and patellar instability associated with left knee degenerative arthritis are granted effective from October 19, 2021. The rating for right knee bipartite patella with discoid medial meniscus is granted a separate 20 percent rating as of January 28, 2022.

The Veteran's claim for a rating greater than 20 percent for GSW residuals, left hip was denied. The effective date of the increased rating from June 5, 2017, is also denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for total knee joint replacement, right knee (right knee condition) is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of recent VA examination, and therefore requires an updated evaluation for the Veteran's right knee total replacement.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 10 percent and does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his left knee disability and to determine if he is entitled to temporary total ratings following surgeries. The effective date issue is also remanded due to procedural errors in the rating decision process.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities have been denied. The VA has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has remanded the claims for higher ratings for bilateral knee disabilities due to inadequate examination findings.,Further development is required to obtain an adequate medical examination and assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities.