Knee decisions — 2023

The application to reopen a previously denied claim for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is granted. The applications to reopen claims for service connection for hemorrhoids, left knee condition, right knee condition, neck condition, and right ear hearing loss are denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that it is related to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's appeals for a rating higher than 10 percent for left knee disability and service connection for right shoulder disability have been dismissed. The appeal of the TDIU issue has been remanded.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims regarding his left knee and right arm disabilities, as VA examinations were not conducted in accordance with regulations and the Veteran reported having flare-ups during these exams. The cases are being remanded to provide further evaluations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lichen planus simplex has been denied as he does not have a current diagnosis of this condition. The claims for increased ratings and service connection for other conditions are remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and readjudication due to outstanding VA treatment records, including those from Jackson Vista, Atlanta VA Health Care System, and Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System. The issues of increased ratings for service-connected left and right knee disabilities are being addressed.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination, specifically failing to evaluate the functional effects of a flare-up. The Veteran's attorney argued that the January 2019 VA knee examination is inadequate and requested an addendum opinion.

The Board has remanded the cases for issuance of a Statement of the Case (SOC) as the Veteran's appeal was improperly docketed under the AMA system. The issues are now in an appellate posture where the Veteran is awaiting issuance of the SOC and filing of a substantive appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete VA examinations and lack of consideration of his lay statements regarding continuity of symptoms.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The left knee disability was found to not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent, while the respiratory disability claim was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current left knee disability is related to service, including his bootcamp activities and motor man duties. Additional development is needed.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for headaches, but the Veteran's service connection claims for other conditions are remanded due to inadequate VA medical opinions and failure to consider the ameliorative effects of medication.

The Board has determined that the January 2019 VA examinations are inadequate and remanded for further clarification of the Veteran's current disabilities. The claims for service connection for right shoulder disability, left knee disability, right ankle disability, dermatophytosis of the right foot, and headache condition are all remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for disabilities of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that his current service-connected conditions (postoperative instability with limitation of motion, right knee; degenerative arthritis, left knee; restless leg syndrome with radiculopathy, right and left lower extremities) are the only disabilities of the bilateral lower extremities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his service-connected left knee disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that there was no increase in severity within one year prior to December 11, 2018.,The evidence did not support an earlier effective date based on a worsening of the Veteran's conditions during the period on appeal.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for referral to the VA Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular evaluation due to his service-connected bilateral knee disorder and PTSD.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities have been rated based on limitation of flexion, with separate ratings for lateral and patellar instability.,For the period from October 24, 2017 to February 6, 2021, the Veteran was granted a 10 percent rating for lateral instability in both knees. For the period from February 7, 2021 onwards, he received a 20 percent rating for patellar instability in both knees.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including back disability, left ankle disability, left arm disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability as secondary to his right ankle disability. The decision found that there was no evidence of a service-connected disability or an in-service aggravation of pre-existing conditions.

The appeal with respect to the issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is dismissed.,Entitlement to service connection for a lung disability is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for chronic open angle glaucoma and nuclear sclerotic cataracts is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral elbow disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral wrist disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral hip disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a spine disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus type II is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for hypertension due to service or service-connected disease or injury is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a heart disability due to service or service-connected disease or injury is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction due to service or service-connected disease or injury is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy due to service or service-connected disease or injury is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to service or service-connected disease or injury is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for RBD is denied.