Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection of left knee and lumbar spine disabilities. The cases are now remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's right knee disability. The case will be returned for further development and consideration.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left knee disability due to conflicting medical opinions and the need for additional development, including obtaining a new VA examination.

The Board has granted the reopening of claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, lumbar spine disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, and left hip disability. Service connection is now granted for these conditions.

The Board has decided that the claim for service connection for a right knee disability needs further development and is therefore remanded.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on his left hand sprain and lumbar spine disabilities, as he withdrew these appeals. The remaining issues have been remanded for further review.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for left knee arthritis is denied. The cervical spine condition and acquired psychiatric disorder (insomnia secondary to migraines and a broken jaw) are remanded.,Service connection for the cervical spine condition is remanded due to its potential secondary nature to the lumbar spine disability, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded as it may be related to the in-service dental surgery. The compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and a higher rating for facial paralysis are also remanded.,The Veteran's cervical spine condition is remanded due to its potential secondary nature to the lumbar spine disability, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (insomnia secondary to migraines and a broken jaw) is also remanded as it may be related to the in-service dental surgery. The compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and a higher rating for facial paralysis are also remanded.,The Veteran's cervical spine condition is remanded due to its potential secondary nature to the lumbar spine disability, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (insomnia secondary to migraines and a broken jaw) is also remanded as it may be related to the in-service dental surgery. The compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and a higher rating for facial paralysis are also remanded.,The Veteran's cervical spine condition is remanded due to its potential secondary nature to the lumbar spine disability, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (insomnia secondary to migraines and a broken jaw) is also remanded as it may be related to the in-service dental surgery. The compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and a higher rating for facial paralysis are also remanded.

The Veteran is seeking additional retroactive VA disability compensation benefits under the CRSC program for the period from December 2011 to April 2015, and he also wants to know if it was proper to withhold his VA disability compensation benefits due to a retired pay adjustment. The Board has ordered further action to review these issues.

The Veteran's left and right knee disabilities are granted as service-connected.,Arthritis is dismissed due to the Veteran clarifying he only claims arthritis of the knees, hips, and back.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee arthritis with total knee replacement on a presumptive basis due to continuous symptoms since service separation, resolving doubt in the Veteran's favor.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left and right knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding range of motion measurements.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a disability manifested by fatigue (claimed as CFS), to include as due to an undiagnosed illness, is also being remanded. The VA needs to obtain clarification on whether the Veteran meets the diagnostic criteria for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and address the etiology of his fatigue.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of reopening and establishing service connection for left knee disability, back disability, bilateral hip disability, and right knee disability. The Board found that the Veteran's disabilities were incurred in his time in service due to jumping out of airplanes as a paratrooper.

The Veteran is granted earlier effective dates of June 4, 2018 for radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities.,The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for patellofemoral pain syndrome of the right knee and status post lumbar microdiscectomy are remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings have been dismissed as the Veteran requested to withdraw all pending appeals.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and initial rating determinations due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between his current disabilities and his military service. The issues include right hip, ankle, shoulder, wrist, and knee disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to April 22, 2017 due to a lack of evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's request to reopen claims for lumbar spine and left knee disabilities was granted. The Board also found that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability is service-connected, but remanded the issues of left knee disability (to include as secondary) and right index finger disability.

The Board has found that there was not substantial compliance with its remand directives and has therefore ordered the Veteran's claims for sleep disturbances and joint pain, to include a bilateral knee condition, to be remanded for additional development.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection of left and right knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence in the record, particularly regarding the nature and etiology of his bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and a right knee condition are remanded due to the need for further examination and evidence collection.