Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of evidence and further development is needed. The Veteran's lay statements suggest a possible secondary relationship between his service-connected left knee condition and his current lumbosacral strain and sciatica.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantial, gainful employment for the period prior to January 30, 2019.

The Veteran's increased rating claims for left foot plantar fasciitis, cervical spine disability, and left knee patella tendonitis are being remanded due to the inadequacy of prior VA examination reports.,Specifically, the June 2016 and August 2019 VA examination reports for cervical spine disability were found to be inadequate for adjudication purposes.

The Veteran's appeals for ratings in excess of 10 percent for her right and left wrist disabilities have been dismissed. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew her claims prior to the decision being promulgated.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for sleep apnea, back disability (to include degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine), left knee disability, right knee disability, and bilateral pes planus have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeals.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been denied as there is no current evidence of a tinnitus disability.,Claims for increased ratings for right knee limitation of extension, right knee instability, left knee strain with arthritis, and left knee instability have all been denied due to the Veteran's failure to report for VA examinations.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle and right knee disorders due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the onset of these conditions during or related to his military service.

The Veteran's knee and shoulder disabilities are being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for updated VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for various disabilities have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his claims during a Board hearing.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection for right ankle, left knee, and right hip disabilities are remanded for further development.

Service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis is dismissed.,Service connection for transient blindness associated with migraine headaches and/or seizures is granted.

The Board has remanded several service connection claims due to the need for additional examinations and opinions. Service connection is granted for tinnitus, but other claims remain pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is granted, and the claims to reopen service connection for thoracolumbar spine disability, left hand disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, and right ankle disability are also granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to lack of recent examination findings.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right knee arthritis and instability, as well as his TDIU claim prior to September 2018. Additional development is needed including obtaining records of VA treatment since March 2022, scheduling an examination for the Veteran's right knee, and requesting additional employment information.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left knee disability, and right knee disability due to a lack of credible evidence linking these conditions to his active service.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right knee disabilities, finding that the Veteran's current knee pain began during active service. Service connection was denied for a lumbar spine disability due to lack of evidence linking it to service.

The Veteran's left knee disability has not resulted in flexion limited to 30 degrees or extension limited to 15 degrees, thus a higher rating is denied.,Service connection for vision impairment is denied as there is no evidence of an event or trauma during service that resulted in additional disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence being associated with the claims file after a previous statement of the case was issued. The Veteran is asked to provide any additional private or VA treatment records, and the AOJ should consider all received evidence in deciding his claim for an increased rating for left knee disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened, and the case is remanded to determine if he meets VA criteria for a hearing loss disability. The left knee disability rating is also remanded due to an inadequate April 2018 VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a bilateral hip disability was dismissed due to the appellant requesting withdrawal of the appeal. The appeals for service connection for bilateral knee, bladder, and gastrointestinal disabilities are remanded.