Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including TBI, inguinal hernia residuals, left and right knee strains. The cases are being returned for additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone render him physically unable to engage in substantially gainful employment from July 1, 2015. Prior to that date, he was employed as a railroad engineer and thus considered employable.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including arthroscopic ACL repair and degenerative arthritis, is currently rated at 10 percent. A separate 10 percent rating for instability has been granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee osteoarthritis and TDIU prior to December 1, 2010 are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is granted as service connected due to exposure at Camp Lejeune. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hip, knee, and ankle disorders, as well as lower extremity neuropathies.

The Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to June 23, 2016 for coronary artery disease and reopening of his right knee disability claim are denied. The Board finds that the Veteran has not provided new and material evidence to reopen his right knee disability claim. His TDIU claim is also remanded due to its inextricability with other issues.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for arthritis of the spine, bilateral hands/fingers, bilateral hips, bilateral knees, bilateral shoulders, and bilateral wrists, as well as his skin condition claim due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiners' opinions. The AOJ is instructed to seek new opinions that consider the Veteran's MOS and STRs.

The Veteran is granted an initial 10 percent rating for sinusitis prior to September 12, 2019. However, a higher rating is denied.,For the entire period on appeal, the Veteran's sinusitis does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's use of chlorhexidine gluconate, an antiseptic skin cleanser, caused irreparable damage to his outer garments during the Year 2018. The Board granted a clothing allowance for this period.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for right and left knee degenerative arthritis, both status post arthroplasty, were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected left femur, left knee, left ankle, left leg shortening, and back disabilities. The VA examiner should provide a full description of the Veteran's disabilities and report all signs and symptoms necessary for evaluating the Veteran's disabilities, including under the rating criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee replacement and left knee disability, finding no evidence of an in-service injury or event associated with these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for gastritis, mental condition (presumably PTSD or similar), migraine headaches, nausea associated with gastritis, and low back disability have been dismissed. The claim for right shoulder disability based on arm limitation of motion prior to July 18, 2016, has also been dismissed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for service connection, except for a grant of entitlement to a separate compensable evaluation for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for low back, right ankle, right shoulder, and knee disabilities are remanded due to inadequate nexus opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to potential Agent Orange exposure, and a TERA-specific examination is required. The examiner must consider total potential exposure through all applicable military deployments and the synergistic, combined effect of all toxic risk activities.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss, right knee condition prior to July 23, 2015, and left knee condition prior to July 23, 2015 were all denied. The Veteran's right knee condition after July 23, 2015 and left knee condition after July 23, 2015 were also denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's left knee and leg disability. The Veteran claims service connection for this condition, but the VA examiner did not adequately consider the possibility of a chronic condition noted at his separation examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for osteochondral lesions of the left and right knees, as well as degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The claims are being returned to VA for additional development.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions, and requests a new opinion from a clinician regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's left knee disorder.