Knee decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.,The Veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions, including a left knee condition, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic kidney disease, liver condition, and diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development due to inadequate examination and other issues.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is granted as service-connected due to a link with his service-connected traumatic brain injury.,Service connection for dental disability or condition is denied. The Veteran does not have a compensable dental disability under VA regulations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection and increased ratings for her left knee disability was granted, with an effective date of January 27, 2013. The TDIU claim prior to October 16, 2018, was denied, but a TDIU was granted from that date onwards.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disorders due to ongoing development needs, including obtaining medical records from his military service.

The Veteran's employment ended in December 2018 due to his service-connected disabilities, including anxiety and migraine headaches. The AOJ needs to complete further development regarding the Veteran's employment history before deciding on the TDIU claim.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient objective data and lack of addressing ankylosis in previous examinations.

The Veteran's left knee disability was rated at 50 percent disabling under Diagnostic Code 5261 for limitation of extension. The VA reduced this rating to 20 percent, effective January 9, 2017, based on a January 9, 2017 examination that did not adequately assess the Veteran's left knee instability.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to an in-service injury. Service connection was denied for a lumbar spine disability due to lack of evidence showing it was incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeals for an increased rating for lumbosacral strain and TDIU have been withdrawn. The claims for service connection for right foot, left foot, cervical spine, left ankle, right knee, and left knee conditions have been granted.,These issues are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee, right knee, and right shoulder disabilities. For his heart condition, a noncompensable rating is granted prior to November 9, 2021, and a 10 percent rating is granted from that date.

The Board has granted the petitions to reopen the previously denied claims for service connection for right foot, bilateral ankle, bilateral knee and cervical spine disabilities. However, these claims are still pending as they have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee pain and back pain due to insufficient evidence in the record, including a lack of an examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records. The Board also found that a new examination is needed in several cases.

The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the bilateral knees and hips, finding that the Veteran's in-service duties are at least as likely as not related to her current conditions.,The Board also remanded the issues regarding a skin condition of the nose (actinic keratosis) and a skin condition (seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis), requesting additional development on exposure history.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorders due to a lack of an adequate VA examination and consideration of lay evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for vision loss, right elbow disorder, left elbow disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, thoracolumbar spine disorder (arthritis to the entire joint system), obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension (claimed as Gulf War Syndrome), erectile dysfunction, and skin disorder due to new evidence added to his claims file.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine and right knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding range of motion during flare-ups.

The Veteran's claims for left and right knee disorders are reopened, but the Board has remanded them due to a need for further examination.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable evaluation for a left knee scar and an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for right knee degenerative joint disease are remanded. The TDIU claim remains on appeal.