Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has dismissed the appeals seeking service connection for right hand/wrist and left knee conditions as they were already pending further development.

The Veteran's left knee disability was previously rated at 30 percent for extension prior to December 1, 2022. The RO reduced this rating to 10 percent effective December 1, 2022.,The reduction from 30 percent to 10 percent is considered proper based on evidence showing sustained material improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to consider whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, including medication or treatment for this condition, caused or aggravated her obesity. The examiner is requested to provide an opinion on these questions.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected allergic rhinitis. Service connection for PTSD, adjustment disorder with anxious mood and/or depressed mood, and any other mental disorders are denied due to lack of a formal DSM-5 diagnosis during the pendency of the claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to engage and retain substantially gainful employment, thus the Board has granted entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has dismissed the appeals as the AOJ has not made a formal substitution determination for the Veteran's spouse.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the right knee disability claim, and the Board dismissed it.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to insufficient evidence. The lumbosacral strain claim is denied, and the hearing loss claim is also denied.

The Veteran's increased ratings for his acquired psychiatric disorder and right knee degenerative joint disease and meniscal tear to include chondromalacia were denied. The rating for the acquired psychiatric disorder was maintained at 70 percent, while the rating for the right knee condition was increased to 20 percent.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her knee conditions are being remanded due to the need for an adequate VA examination that includes use of a goniometer.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error, and will need an in-person examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and records. The issues of TBI, psychiatric disability, sleep impairment, headache, vestibular disorder, shoulder disabilities, knee, ankle, foot, and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy will be reconsidered.

The Board has remanded all claims for further development due to inadequate medical opinions and the need for additional evidence.

The Veteran's increased disability ratings for right and left knee degenerative arthritis with limitation of flexion are granted, subject to the laws and regulations governing the award of monetary benefits.,Separate disability ratings of 10 percent but no higher for right and left knee instability are also granted.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including anxiety, back disability, neck disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, head injury, and right ear hearing loss. The effective date of the decisions was January 12, 2022.

The Board has denied service connection for GERD, an acquired psychiatric disability, left shoulder disability, right knee disability, and back disability as the evidence does not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have been rated at 70 percent since April 5, 2019. The Board also granted a TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and knee conditions.

The Board denied an increased disability rating for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it only showed painful noncompensable limitation of motion.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current diagnosis for the Veteran's claimed left knee, right knee, or stomach conditions. The VA examinations and STRs do not support the presence of chronic disabilities at any time during the pendency of the claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current diagnosis of a hearing disability for VA compensation purposes.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for left hand and right hand disabilities are denied as there is no current diagnosis of these disabilities.