Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a right knee disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and right ankle disability due to conflicting medical evidence. The claims are currently pending.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus, left knee disability, lower back disability, neck disability, acquired skin disorder (PFB, eczema, lichen simplex), and acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD, depressive disorder). The claim for bilateral pes planus is granted due to aggravation of a pre-existing condition during active service. The other claims are remanded as new evidence has been received but the Board did not find it sufficient to grant service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left knee arthritis, lower back injury, and right shoulder arthritis due to a lack of notations in service treatment records and the need for further medical examination.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities have been granted increased ratings of 20 percent each, effective February 21, 2017. The case also grants an effective date of February 21, 2017 for the award of a rating for his left knee disability, and grants TDIU based on service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied service connection for glaucoma and bilateral hearing loss, but has remanded the issue of service connection for a bilateral knee disability.,Service connection is not granted for glaucoma or bilateral hearing loss due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for plantar fasciitis is denied as the highest schedular rating has been assigned. The Board finds that his symptoms are fully addressed by the current rating criteria and do not warrant an extraschedular evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for thrombophlebitis, right lower extremity was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The left ankle, bilateral knee, and right shoulder disabilities were denied as not related to active service.,The decision does not specify a reasoning factor or confidence level.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right knee, right hip, and left hip disabilities due to inadequate development in previous VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal of the evaluation in excess of 10 percent for service-connected degenerative arthritis left knee and his claim for service connection for skin condition have been dismissed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right wrist, right knee, and right ankle disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at a combined 20 percent, effective December 11, 2016.

The Board has determined that there have been substantial compliance issues with the previous remand directives and thus, the appeal is being returned to the RO for further action.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, back disability, right knee disability, and left ankle disability. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to address these issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional information from Social Security Administration (SSA).

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board upheld the RO's decisions regarding right knee degenerative joint disease, lumbar spondylosis, and sciatic nerve radiculopathy from September 24, 2021 onwards. However, separate 20 percent disability ratings were granted for femoral nerve radiculopathy (both lower extremities) effective September 24, 2021.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and inadequate examination reports. The Veteran is advised to provide copies of any Army service treatment records in his possession, as well as outstanding private treatment records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for back and bilateral knee disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions in prior examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the evidence does not establish a current disability or link to service.,The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the evidence does not establish a medical nexus between his low back condition and service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to incomplete verification of periods of active duty and inactive duty training, as well as issues related to service connection for various disabilities. The Veteran is also seeking a TDIU prior to April 26, 2010.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and the Veteran needs a new one.