Knee decisions — 2023

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal must be remanded due to procedural issues, specifically regarding the submission of a Notice of Disagreement form. The case will be returned to the RO for issuance of an SOC and for the Veteran to file a timely substantive appeal if he wishes to continue his appeal under the legacy appeals system.

The Board denied service connection for right knee disorder, dizziness, migraine disorder, and brain disorder (claimed as white fluid around brain cells with increased lesions) because the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active-duty service.,Service connection was also denied on a secondary basis.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his service-connected right knee osteochondroma and osteoarthritis prior to March 4, 2009 are remanded due to the need for further examination and evaluation.

The Veteran's knee and ankle conditions are being remanded for a new VA examination to determine if they are related to his service-connected bilateral flat foot with plantar fasciitis.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a back condition and left knee condition due to inadequate factual basis in previous VA opinions, and failure to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding continued pain since service.

The Veteran's right knee disability was granted service connection effective January 27, 2016. The low back disability was also granted service connection effective January 27, 2016. The left knee disability received a rating of 10 percent and an effective date of March 31, 2015.

The Veteran is granted a 60 percent evaluation for his post-operative right total knee arthroplasty prior to October 27, 2017.

The Veteran's left and right knee disabilities are granted service connection, but the claim for hypertension is remanded due to inadequate medical opinion. The back disability claim is also remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claim for IBS is granted. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for a bilateral knee disability as secondary to his service-connected ankle disability.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's sleep apnea and right knee disability. Additional medical opinions are needed to determine if these conditions are related to service-connected disabilities or obesity.

The Board has denied service connection for left knee disability, right hip disability, right knee osteoarthritis, lower back condition, and mood disorder.

The Board has denied service connection for right knee, left knee, and back disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty. The Veteran's pre-existing knee and back conditions are not considered to have been worsened by his Reserve service.

The Veteran's right knee internal derangement and instability have been granted initial ratings of 10% and 20%, respectively, effective from May 22, 2012, and February 11, 2022.,A separate 10% rating for right knee instability prior to February 11, 2022, has also been granted.

Your appeals for increased ratings for your right knee and right elbow disabilities have been dismissed as the Veteran has withdrawn them.

The Board has denied service connection for residuals of left knee injury, tinnitus, and bilateral shin splints. The Veteran's claim for sinusitis and allergic rhinitis is remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's right knee disability, post-total knee replacement, is currently rated at 60 percent effective February 8, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and his claim for TDIU is therefore denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee strain was granted with an effective date of March 3, 2005. The appeal for service connection for sinusitis is dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection for rhinitis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee and left wrist disorders due to insufficient evidence in their favor.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, including ratings for chondromalacia patella of the right knee and degenerative changes/degenerative arthritis of the left/right knees. The TDIU issue is also remanded.