Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee patellofemoral disorder with arthritis claim requires additional development due to failure to appear for a VA examination. The case is being remanded to schedule another examination.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating for individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to July 21, 2021 was denied as he did not meet the schedular requirements and there is no evidence that his service-connected disabilities precluded him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left foot disability and right knee disability secondary to her service-connected right foot disability due to insufficient examination findings.

The Veteran's right knee, ankle, and elbow disabilities have been granted initial ratings of 10 percent each. However, the claim for service connection for a left shoulder condition has been denied.

The Veteran's right knee instability and semilunar cartilage condition are granted separate evaluations of 20% each, effective from October 23, 2013.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's joint pain, which includes his back, shoulders, knees, and hips. The Veteran contends that his joint pain is related to service, particularly his physically demanding MOS as a tacfire operations specialist.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 7, 2022.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee and left knee disabilities, as well as his right hip disabilities, are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The new examinations must comply with the requirements of Correia v. McDonald (2016) and Sharp v. Shulkin (2017).

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The Veteran's conditions are found to be related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left knee arthritis, lateral instability, and limitation of extension due to incomplete development.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing the presence of a disability for VA compensation purposes. The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral foot, low back, and left knee conditions are remanded for additional development.

The Board has determined that there is not substantial compliance with previous remand directives regarding the service connection issues and a remand is required for addendum opinions to be obtained.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all remaining issues, including service connection and rating claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right wrist pain, right shin pain, and left shin pain due to a lack of evidence showing current disabilities.,The Board also remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle strain (claimed as right ankle pain) and right knee osteoarthritis (claimed as right knee pain), as there is insufficient medical evidence to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's representative withdrew the appeals for service connection of gout, bladder condition, migraine headaches, gastrointestinal problems, elbow condition, hip condition, bilateral knee condition, and tinnitus. As a result, these claims are dismissed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right knee disability and fibromyalgia/joint pain, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active duty service.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right knee osteoarthritis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his active duty.,Service connection was also granted for migraines, with the reasoning being that the Veteran reported experiencing these headaches since deployment.

The Veteran's service-connected left knee disabilities prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation since March 7, 2017.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, DDD of the lumbar spine, IVDS, and various knee conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since July 9, 2018.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral ankle, right hand, and right knee conditions due to inadequate medical opinions in previous examinations. The cases are now pending further development.