Knee decisions — 2023

The Veteran meets the schedular requirement for TDIU due to his service-connected cervical spine degenerative arthritis, thoracic spine fractures and degenerative arthritis, bilateral knee retropatellar syndrome, and tinnitus that render him unable to follow a substantially gainful occupation from November 16, 2013 to March 15, 2015.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70% and denied a higher rating.,Service connection for the left knee condition is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee strain with limitation of extension, flexion, and instability are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for vascular steal syndrome, hypertension, right knee post traumatic arthritis, and MDD are remanded due to conflicting medical opinions and the need for additional development.

The Board has remanded the case due to scheduling issues for a VA examination.

The Veteran's right knee post-TKA residuals, meniscal condition, and instability are rated at 10%, 20%, and 10% respectively. The combined rating is 40%. Effective February 1, 2022, the Veteran's right knee status post total replacement has been rated as having intermediate degrees of residual weakness, pain or limitation of motion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for his right knee disability as secondary to service-connected disabilities and/or due to obesity, as well as his degenerative arthritis of the right foot. The Veteran will need a new VA examination to address whether his service-connected posttraumatic arthritis of the right ankle and/or degenerative arthritis of the right foot caused or aggravated his right knee disability and if not whether his osteoarthritis of the right knee was caused by these conditions with obesity as an intermediate step.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU prior to October 4, 2016 were denied. The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disability did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied service connection for right knee and right foot disorders, finding that the current conditions are not related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.,The evidence did not support a secondary service connection claim.

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at a maximum of 30 percent, and the issues related to his gastrointestinal disorder are remanded for further review. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Board has determined that another remand is required due to insufficient opinions provided in the previous VA examinations regarding whether the Veteran's left knee disability was caused by or became worse as a result of VA treatment in November 2013.

The Veteran's application to reopen claims for service connection for cervical spine arthritis, lumbar spine arthritis, disc bulges, and right ankle arthritis was dismissed. The appeals for seborrheic dermatitis, right knee disability, TMJ, and major depressive disorder were granted.,The Veteran is now entitled to an increased rating of 40 percent for his right foot disability, a 50 percent rating for his right wrist degenerative arthritis from April 26, 2016, and a TDIU from August 8, 2016 to October 19, 2020.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine and right knee disabilities prior to February 3, 2020. The Veteran is required to undergo further examinations to assess these conditions without the ameliorative effects of medication.

The Veteran's knee and ankle disabilities were denied, while service connection for a right ankle disability was granted. The back disability claim was also denied as secondary to the knee disability.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his left knee chondromalacia is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the VA examination. The examiner did not address the presence or absence of a meniscus condition, nor did they consider flare-ups and their impact on the Veteran's functional capacity.

The claims for service connection of a right knee/ankle disorder, hepatitis C, and a right foot disorder have been denied. The appeal is dismissed.

The Board has determined that another remand is necessary due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including heart disease, hypertension, prostate disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, and orthopedic disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of substantial compliance with prior remand directives and issues related to the Veteran's service connection claim for a bilateral knee disability, as well as his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his right knee disability, left knee disability, and PTSD have been dismissed due to the Veteran's representative indicating a request to withdraw all of the appeals prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including meniscal tear, tendonitis, and osteoarthritis, was evaluated at a 20% prior to February 1, 2022. Since then, the condition has been rated at 10%. The appeal is denied as the current evaluations do not meet the criteria for higher ratings.