Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of right knee degenerative joint disease and granted it. The request to reopen the diabetes mellitus claim was denied.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for PTSD, thoracolumbar spine strain, and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal in November 2018.

The Board has dismissed all pending claims for increased ratings and effective dates related to sciatic radiculopathy of the lower extremities and knee strains.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient efforts to obtain Detroit VAMC treatment records and non-VA medical records related to the Veteran's right knee orthopedic surgery. The Veteran is required to provide VA Form 21-4142 for all non-VA providers seen for his right knee disability, and VA must attempt to obtain relevant records from the Detroit VAMC and non-VA providers.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various conditions, including right and left knee disabilities, neurological condition, peripheral neuropathies, and skin cancer. The appeals are pending due to conflicting evidence regarding the onset and continuity of symptoms.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding his claim of service connection for a left hip disability. The Board finds that additional evidence and analysis are needed to adjudicate this issue.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim of service connection for a right shoulder disability was denied. The claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, left knee, and right knee disabilities were also denied. The issues regarding effective dates for left ankle sprains and tympanic membrane tympanosclerosis (right and left) were dismissed.

The Veteran's right knee disability was rated at 10 percent prior to April 5, 2012 and denied a higher rating.,The Veteran's left knee disability was rated at 20 percent prior to September 30, 2011 and denied a higher rating.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for increased disability rating for GERD, service connection for a right knee disability, fecal incontinence, and hiatal hernia due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings, TDIU, and SMC are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his VA treatment records and clarification regarding his recent emergency room visit.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and evaluations to determine the current severity of his service-connected conditions, as well as for further development regarding other issues. The Veteran will also receive a Statement of the Case (SOC) addressing all pending claims.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left ankle degenerative arthritis with strain, as well as DJD of the knees, are being remanded for further evaluation due to recent worsening reported by the Veteran. Additionally, a claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability is also being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for the entitlement of a separate compensable rating for his sleep disability, which he claims is secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.,The Board finds that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's current sleep issues are indeed related to his right knee disability.

The Veteran's right knee scars and degenerative joint disease are rated as noncompensably disabling prior to April 15, 2019. The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for both the left and right knee scars. However, the claim is remanded due to insufficient information provided in the January 2017 VA examination regarding the severity of the Veteran's right knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis, finding that the Veteran's reports of an in-service injury and subsequent symptoms are credible. The claim is denied for other issues due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and examination. The Veteran's claim for hearing loss is reopened, but service connection remains denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities and service connection for ulcerative colitis (UC) and migraine headaches due to a lack of updated treatment records, material change in her conditions, and need for addendum opinions regarding the preexistence of her UC.

The Board has found that new examinations are required to evaluate the current nature and severity of the Veteran's right shoulder, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to a record gap from December 2016 to July 2022. The Veteran's GERD disability is also remanded for further evaluation.

Your appeal has been dismissed because you withdrew your request for a hearing and the case is not about service connection.