Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has denied service connection for right knee condition as secondary to left knee degenerative joint disease, but has remanded the issue of service connection for right hip bursitis as secondary to left knee degenerative joint disease. The Veteran's claims are pending and will be reconsidered after a new examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral pes planus, osteoarthritis of the left knee, and osteoarthritis of the right knee. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and active service.

The Board has denied service connection for left and right carpal tunnel syndrome, but has remanded the issues of service connection for a right knee disability and sleep apnea (claimed as secondary to a right knee disability).

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various foot, ankle, knee, back, neck, shoulder, and wrist disabilities as there is no current evidence of such conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher evaluations and earlier effective dates for his service-connected disabilities, including left knee disability, right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and schizophrenia with alcohol use disorder.

The Veteran's left knee instability rating was reduced from 20% to noncompensable, but the Board found insufficient evidence of actual improvement and restored the original 20% rating effective June 1, 2022.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to a lack of VA examination at the time of the May 2023 rating decision. The Veteran's lay statements indicate he experienced knee pain since around August 2012, which is more than six years after his last period of active duty.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee condition due to an in-service left ankle injury and related overcompensation, as well as potential aggravation of her service-connected cervical strain. The case is being remanded for further development including a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeals regarding various conditions were dismissed as she did not file a timely VA Form 10182 within the allowed time frame.

The Veteran's service-connected knee and back disabilities render her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU based on this finding.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU for the period prior to May 27, 2011, due to service-connected disabilities that rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to a higher disability rating for right knee degenerative arthritis and residuals of right knee total knee arthroplasty, as well as the issue of entitlement to TDIU, due to an inadequate VA examination report.

The Veteran's right knee residuals medial meniscus tear with total knee replacement is granted a 60 percent rating.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a thoracolumbar spine condition, cervical spine condition, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to insufficient evidence.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a left knee condition and a right knee condition, as secondary to a left knee condition, due to an inadequate medical opinion.

The Board denied service connection for a joint pain disorder, bile disorder, fatigue, GERD, and dyspnea. The appeals for increased disability ratings for the right and left knee disabilities and instability were also denied. The TDIU appeal was dismissed.

The Board granted service connection for left knee strain, finding the evidence to be in relative equipoise regarding whether the symptoms and manifestations of the Veteran's knee originated during service and eventually manifested as his current knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for higher disability ratings are being remanded due to the AOJ not considering VA examinations conducted in September 2021, which were obtained after the initial rating decision.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of May 22, 2012 for the assignment of a 50% rating for limitation of left knee extension and a 10% rating for left knee instability.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error and needs further development of records, including obtaining private medical treatment records for the Veteran's right knee disability. A VA examination is also needed to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's current right knee disability is etiologically related to his active service.