Knee decisions — 2023

The Veteran's right knee instability is currently rated at 10 percent, and his limitation of flexion for arthritis is rated at 20 percent. The Board has granted the higher ratings for both conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability and a right elbow disability, finding that the evidence is at least in relative equipoise as to whether these conditions are directly related to service.,Service connection was also denied for residuals of a right foot, big toe injury and hearing loss.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU for the period from June 22, 2015 to August 9, 2020 due to his service-connected disabilities. For the earlier period, he did not meet the criteria.

The Veteran's right knee disability, characterized as degenerative arthritis with recurrent patellar dislocation, is currently evaluated at a 20 percent rating. The Board denied an increased rating beyond this level.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence in the record regarding the etiology of his knee conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for gout affecting multiple joints, including the right and left shoulders, knees, feet, hands, fingers, and toes. The appeal is now REMANDED for further action on two issues: diabetes mellitus, type II, and residuals of a stroke.

The Veteran's right shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis is currently rated at 20 percent prior to February 18, 2020 and denied for a higher rating. The Veteran's left knee chronic synovitis and degenerative joint disease, right knee chronic synovitis and degenerative joint disease, and bilateral plantar fasciitis and pes planus are all currently rated at 10 percent prior to February 18, 2020 and denied for higher ratings.,From February 18, 2020, the Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis and pes planus is rated at 30 percent and denied for a higher rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left knee disability, finding that the evidence does not support a secondary relationship to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis and remanded the issue of an increased rating for right knee disability. The claim for bilateral plantar fasciitis was denied due to lack of evidence linking current symptoms to military service.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for TBI, headaches, right knee strain, and left knee strain were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of impairment more nearly approximating a 10% or higher rating for any condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee disability did not have its onset during service and is not otherwise related to service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for all four claimed disabilities (right shoulder, left knee, right ankle, and scar on the right hand) as there was no persuasive evidence linking them to active service.

The Veteran's left knee, right knee, and scars of the right cheek and forehead have been granted service connection as they are related to his service-connected PTSD. The Veteran's OSA, left knee disability, and right knee disability remain under review.

The Board denied service connection for left foot, left knee and bilateral hip disabilities as there was no evidence of onset in service or within one year following discharge. The Veteran's current conditions were not shown to be causally related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete records and needs to obtain additional service treatment records for the Veteran's right knee injury. The examiner will need to determine if any diagnosed right knee disability is related to in-service injuries.

The Veteran's service-connected left lower extremity neuropathy with foot drop, combined with his bilateral knee arthritis, causes the loss of use of his left lower extremity and precludes locomotion without assistive devices. The Board granted a certificate of eligibility for specially adapted housing.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for left and right knee osteoarthritis, as well as separate ratings for instability of both knees. The criteria for a higher rating were not met based on limitation of motion or instability.

The Board has granted service connection for urinary incontinence and a right knee disability, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 10 percent, but the Board found that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of limitation of flexion.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral knee disability. The examiner is asked to provide a nexus opinion as to all of the Veteran's claimed knee disabilities, including arthralgia.