Knee decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board has granted the reopening of several claims, but denied others.

The Board has denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and remanded the claims of increased ratings for right and left knee tendonitis.

The Veteran has withdrawn their appeals for the issues of entitlement to service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as right and left ankle disabilities, and total disability individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including hepatitis C, right knee strain, and bilateral pes planus, have prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted TDIU on an extraschedular basis due to the relative equipoise in evidence supporting his claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are at least as likely as not related to her active duty service, and therefore grants her claims for service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for higher ratings for service-connected left knee total replacement and right knee total arthroplasty, as well as separate rating for instability of the knees and TDIU. Additional medical opinions are needed to assess the severity of the Veteran's knee disabilities.

The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis and right hip degenerative arthritis are rated at 30 percent each, with the right knee ligament instability rated at 10 percent. The claims for increased ratings are denied.

The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis and instability are rated at 10 percent each, with no higher ratings granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development and readjudication due to his failure to appear at a previously scheduled hearing, incomplete medical records, and other procedural issues.

The Board has dismissed the claims of service connection for a neck disability, entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities, and an increased rating for left knee meniscal tear. The claim for an earlier effective date for the left knee meniscal tear is also remanded.

The Veteran's right knee disability has increased in severity, and a new VA examination is needed to determine the appropriate rating.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for a left knee disorder and an increased evaluation for PTSD due to insufficient evidence or further development being needed.

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at 10 percent from February 2, 2001, to October 28, 2013. Since December 1, 2014, the Veteran has been granted a 60 percent rating for his right knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but further development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of his left knee disorder and cervical spine/neck disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder, including as secondary to his service-connected right knee tendonitis. The Board found that there was no evidence of arthritis in service or within one year after discharge and concluded that the Veteran's current left knee disorder is not related to service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various joint and spine disabilities due to the need for additional in-patient treatment records from an Air Force hospital in Thailand. The AOJ must provide a formal finding of unavailability for these records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle conditions due to insufficient medical opinions addressing the relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee disabilities have been denied. The VA has determined that the evidence does not support a finding of more than the currently assigned ratings for the periods specified.

The Board has determined that the Veteran should be afforded VA examinations to assess his service-connected bilateral knee disability and a medical examination for his bilateral shoulder condition. The matter is being remanded due to the Veteran's inability to attend scheduled examinations.

The Veteran's appeal for TDIU has been dismissed as the matter was specifically withdrawn by his attorney. The issues of TDIU have been dismissed for both time periods from July 3, 2008 to present and November 14, 2006 to July 2, 2008.