Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic sinusitis, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to a lack of evidence showing current disabilities related to these conditions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding service connection for left foot and right knee conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a recurrent left knee disability and an increased rating for unspecified anxiety disorder due to procedural issues.

The Veteran withdrew all appeals related to the left knee gout with degenerative osteoarthritis and internal derangement status post meniscectomy, right knee gout with degenerative osteoarthritis and internal derangement, and left knee gout with degenerative osteoarthritis and internal derangement status post meniscectomy based on limitation of extension. The appeal is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for arthritis of the neck, left hip, and bilateral knees due to a lack of a VA examination and opinion regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions. The Veteran claims his current disabilities are secondary to his service-connected peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities.

The Board has granted service connection for right hip bursitis, left hip bursitis, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis, and lumbosacral strain with IVDS.,Service connection is established for all claimed conditions.

The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the claims of service connection for tinnitus, low back disability, and left knee disability due to a duty to assist error.

The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral ankle and knee disorders, as well as their relationship to his military service. The case is being remanded for these purposes.

The Board has determined that there were errors in the decision-making process regarding service connection for a right knee disability and an increased rating for back disability prior to October 18, 2022. The Veteran's claims are being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions and conduct further examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disorder and sleep apnea due to inadequate opinions regarding pre-service conditions, causation, and intermediate steps.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right knee pain, left knee pain, and low back strain with pain due to duty-to-assist errors and a need for additional medical opinions. The Veteran's active service included deployment in Iraq.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of her right and left knee disabilities, back disability, and feet disability are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The VA is instructed to obtain relevant treatment records from private providers and provide the Veteran with a retrospective medical examination.

The Veteran's right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record. The current rating adequately reflects the limitation of motion and functional loss due to pain.

The Board has determined that there are no current disabilities of the knees or left ankle, and thus denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Veteran withdrew all his appeals, including this one for right knee arthritis.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA examinations and a need for new examination opinions regarding the etiology of each of the Veteran's diagnosed right knee disabilities, including a meniscal tear, instability, and arthritis. The examiner must opine whether it is at least as likely as not that these conditions were caused or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board dismissed all six service connection claims for PTSD, back disability, left eye disability, left hand disability, left hip disability, and right knee disability due to the appellant's withdrawal of her appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection of left elbow, back, and right knee disabilities due to a duty to assist error. Additional development is needed to obtain opinions from an examiner regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for right and left knee strain due to incomplete records and potential errors in the original decision.

The appeal regarding the temporary total evaluation for left knee surgery is dismissed as moot due to a prior decision finding CUE. The extension of the temporary total rating for right knee surgery requiring convalescence from June 15, 2020, until October 1, 2020, is remanded.