Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to a lack of complete service treatment records, inadequate medical opinions, and need for updated VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional VA medical opinions to determine if the Veteran's bilateral knee and ankle strain conditions were caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Veteran's appeal of service connection for depression was dismissed. The claim of service connection for a bilateral knee disorder is reopened and granted to an initial 50 percent rating from September 1, 2011. Service connection for the other conditions (bilateral hip disorder and bilateral lower extremity disorder) remains denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, and psychiatric disorder due to incomplete development of evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for GERD, sleep apnea, back condition, left thigh condition, and left knee condition due to inadequate medical examination and lack of substantial compliance with May 2022 remand instructions.

The claims for service connection of the Veteran's back disability, right knee disability, polyneuropathy of the left hand, and polyneuropathy of the right hand are being remanded due to new evidence received since previous decisions. The Board will seek medical opinions on the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for a back disorder and a right knee disorder due to conflicting medical records and lack of VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for his service-connected left knee disabilities, including symptomatic dislocated semilunar cartilage and painful limited motion, is remanded. The reduction in the rating from 20% to 10% for symptomatic dislocated semilunar cartilage is also being reviewed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of left knee, right knee, and spine disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions addressing their etiology.,A TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the issues above.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, right knee, left knee, cervical spine disorder, CFS, right fingers, left fingers, right hip, left hip, lumbar spine disorder, right wrist, left wrist, left leg, right shoulder, left lower extremity sciatic nerve disorder, burns of the right tibia/fibula, and GERD disorders due to incomplete service treatment records and lack of confirmation of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected right and left knee patella chondromalacia due to inadequate examination findings and failure to consider the Veteran's reports of instability.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to insufficient medical opinions addressing their etiology. The Veteran's service records indicate he had knee problems in service, but his current disabilities may be related to post-service treatment or other factors.

The Veteran's appeal for the issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim for service connection for a left hip disorder was dismissed.,The claims for service connection for headaches, left ankle disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, and left shoulder disorder were all reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for fatigue is denied. The initial rating for migraine headaches prior to March 22, 2016 is granted at 50 percent. Service connection claims for various joint and tinnitus conditions are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including depressive disorder due to chronic pain and multiple knee conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings and a higher rating for his right knee disability, leaving only the left knee issues unresolved. The Board dismissed these remaining issues as moot.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a left knee disorder, right knee disorder (claimed as secondary to a left knee disorder), and hypertension due to conflicting opinions regarding their etiology. The VA examiner found that these conditions are less likely related to military service.

The Veteran was found unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities prior to September 20, 2013.

The Veteran's ratings for degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees have been denied as they do not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly evaluate the Veteran's bilateral knee strains and insomnia, including obtaining updated VA treatment records, scheduling a new examination for his knees, and requesting medical opinions on service connection.