Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee strain are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his disabilities. The AOJ will obtain a new VA opinion to address whether the Veteran's knee strains are related to in-service injuries, including walking on gravel during deployment in Kyrgyzstan.

The Board denied service connection for left leg shin splints, right leg shin splints, and a right knee disorder due to lack of current diagnoses and insufficient evidence linking the conditions to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is secondary to his service-connected conditions and if it is aggravated by those conditions or medications taken for them.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding multiple knee and hip conditions, as well as a shoulder pain condition and back condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient VA examination and failure to obtain relevant private treatment records. The Veteran's right knee disorder is being reviewed again for proper service connection determination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM) and sleep disturbances, as well as dismissed her claim for service connection for a right knee condition. The decision also denied her requests for restoration of a 20 percent evaluation for RLE radiculopathy and an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the same condition.

The Veteran's TDIU and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) claims are granted effective March 16, 2016. The effective date for DEA is the same as that for TDIU.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral eye disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right elbow disability, left elbow disability, and right knee disability. The claims are being remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted service connection. His right shoulder disability, with recurrent dislocation and limitation of motion, is granted a separate 20 percent rating. The claims for bilateral feet, hands, wrists, and knees are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as a psychiatric disorder including PTSD, are granted. The claims will be remanded to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's service connected PTSD, bilateral knee osteoarthritis, and bilateral foot degenerative arthritis are found to have caused his obesity, which then led to his obstructive sleep apnea. As a result, the Board has granted service connection for OSA on a secondary basis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been denied.,The Veteran's claims for an initial rating higher than 10 percent for residuals of a left knee meniscal and anterior cruciate ligament tear repair, as well as a compensable rating for left knee surgical scars, have also been denied.

The Board has remanded several service connection claims due to duty-to-assist errors, including obtaining private medical records and requesting addendum opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a back disability was denied as there is no current diagnosis or functional loss.,His peanut allergy claim was denied as it does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under DC 6599-6522.

The Veteran's knee braces caused increased wear and tear on his pants, warranting annual VA clothing allowances for the year 2020.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board denied his claim for TDIU.

The Veteran's initial disability ratings for his service-connected bilateral knee and ankle disabilities have been denied. The RO continued the existing 10 percent ratings for each joint.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for lumbar spine, shoulder, elbow, and knee disorders due to a lack of VA examinations and conflicting opinions.

The Veteran's appeal for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grant was denied as none of his service-connected disabilities meet the criteria for such benefits. The appeal for an allowance for an automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment only was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for a separate rating of 20 percent for left knee instability is granted. The matter of an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for chronic left knee musculoligamentous strain on and after September 6, 2019, is remanded due to the inadequacy of the September 2019 VA examination.