Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left knee and left hand disabilities due to incomplete VA examinations, which did not provide opinions on the nature and etiology of these conditions. The Veteran will need additional VA medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to various disabilities, including GERD and several musculoskeletal conditions. The initial rating for GERD was denied due to the lack of symptoms meeting a higher rating criteria. Other claims are remanded as there is insufficient information regarding the Veteran's service-connected periods.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for all other claimed disabilities. The Veteran's tinnitus is presumed related to his military service due to in-service noise exposure. However, the low back disability and other conditions are not shown to be related to his active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examinations and duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's psychiatric, sleep apnea, migraine headaches, and right knee disabilities are being reviewed again with new medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including increased ratings for various knee and wrist disorders. The AOJ is instructed to consider any Social Security Administration disability benefits records in their review of these claims.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of left knee strain with arthritis status post partial ACL tear is denied. The Board also granted a separate disability rating of 10 percent for instability of the left knee.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error in obtaining an adequate medical opinion regarding the onset and relationship of the Veteran's right knee disability to service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, a left knee disability, and a rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain have been dismissed due to the filing of a VA Form 10182 without withdrawing the prior request for supplemental review.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate examination for a left knee disability. The claim of service connection for tinnitus is denied.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Veteran also meets the requirements for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the submission of new and relevant evidence.,New evidence has been submitted that supports the existence of a current disability in some cases, but not all.

The Veteran's right knee disability, post arthroplasty, is rated at 30 percent and the Board finds no evidence of severe chronic residuals warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his left knee disability and scar was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Veteran's bilateral sciatica disability is granted as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability. The left knee arthritis disability issue is remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for right and left knee degenerative joint disease, as well as individual unemployability prior to September 1, 2018.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for his low back condition was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase to this level, as there was no unfavorable ankylosis. The Veteran's TDIU claim since November 19, 2020, was granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee condition, left knee condition, and allergies as there is no evidence of a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent for limitation of flexion and extension, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on more severe limitations or other complications. The Board denied his request for an increased rating.

The Board has determined that there was a duty to assist error and remands the case for a new medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right knee disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left knee disability, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his active military service.