Knee decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for residuals of a right wrist injury, residuals of a right ankle sprain prior to March 26, 2019, and osteoarthritis of the right knee status post arthroscopic surgery have been denied.,The Veteran's claim for restoration of a 50% rating for osteoarthritis of the right knee status post arthroscopic surgery effective from October 28, 2011 has been granted.

The Veteran's right knee disability is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the severity of her condition, as previous examinations did not comply with requirements outlined in Correia and Sharp.

The Veteran was not found unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities during the relevant period prior to September 27, 2006.

The Board denied service connection for right and left knee degenerative joint disease, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's left knee disability is granted as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability. The issues of service connection for headache, right ankle, left ankle, back, and bilateral foot disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on left ankle sprain, right knee degenerative arthritis, and right shoulder degenerative arthritis have been dismissed due to failure to perfect an appeal. The Board has also determined that the issues of increased ratings for these conditions are not properly before it at this time as they were granted in a prior rating decision. The Veteran's claim for service connection for right side groin pain is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hemorrhoids, left great toe numbness, benign prostatic hyperplasia, right hand scar residuals, and others, have been denied. The appeals are based on the absence of current disabilities or evidence supporting the claimed conditions.

The Board has granted an effective date of September 23, 2021 for the award of a TDIU on an extraschedular basis. The Veteran's service-connected right knee and left knee disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to this date.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's left knee condition and his service-connected right knee condition.

The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection due to his contentions regarding the relationship between his current conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate medical examination and evidence of left knee instability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of increased ratings for left knee instability and arthritis due to incomplete examination findings.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for left knee disability was denied. The RO found that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent or for limitation of extension.

The Veteran's appeals regarding various conditions and disabilities have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for painful motion of the left and right knees were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation than 10 percent for either knee condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, right knee disability, left knee disability, iron deficiency anemia, bilateral hearing loss disability, and endometrial polyp disability due to incomplete service treatment records and a need for updated medical opinions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea, lumbar spine disability, right and left knee disabilities, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, and bilateral foot disability are not properly addressed due to a lack of medical examination or opinion. The claims are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is service-connected as it was caused by his service-connected conditions, including chronic sinusitis, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety, low back strain with degenerative arthritis, left lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy, right knee degenerative joint disease, and tinnitus.

Service connection is granted for right rotator cuff tendinosis, with partial tears of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and subscapularis muscles.,Service connection is granted for migraine headaches secondary to service-connected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).,Service connection is granted for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine secondary to service-connected left hip replacement.,The claim for service connection for a left knee condition remains on appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, right and left knee disabilities due to incomplete compliance with prior remand directives. The RO is instructed to obtain an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.