Knee decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder is dismissed because the Veteran was already receiving service connection for this condition effective August 8, 2021. The claims for service connection for left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, back disorder, and stomach disorder are remanded.

The Board has dismissed the appeal of a May 2022 VA letter because it lacks authority to review the deferral of the left knee claim. The Veteran's combined evaluation on February 10, 2022 was denied as not exceeding 60 percent.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for migraine headaches and service connection for a left knee disability are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for all issues related to service connection, including headaches, ankle injuries, groin muscle pain, foot disabilities, elbow and knee conditions, lumbar spine issues, and a condition affecting the two middle fingers of the right hand. The Board dismissed the appeal as withdrawn.

Your claim for service connection for chronic left knee pain has been granted, effective January 26, 2017.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for thoracolumbar spine (back), sleep apnea, and right knee condition as secondary to service-connected disabilities due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors and lack of discussion regarding the Veteran's assertions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's left knee disability is caused or aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for all issues related to service connection and increased ratings, resulting in the dismissal of these appeals.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee meniscus tear and arthritis has been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the case for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's right knee disability is related to her service-connected left knee strain, and whether any other conditions are aggravated by the service-connected condition.

The Board has granted service connection for a headache disability but has remanded the right knee disability claim due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has granted increased ratings for the Veteran's bilateral knee patellofemoral pain syndrome (extension) and separate evaluations for instability, all effective June 20, 2022.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for further examination and evaluation.

The Veteran's right knee meniscal condition, which included a partial medial meniscectomy in June 1992 and another surgery in September 2017, resulted in persistent symptoms such as pain, stiffness, swelling, cracking/clicking/popping, and locking. A 10 percent initial rating for the entire period on appeal is granted.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and medical opinions provided were inadequate, as they did not consider the Veteran's lay statements or other relevant evidence of record. The claims for service connection for right and left knee conditions are therefore remanded to obtain a new examination and medical opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for the appellant's Obstructive Sleep Apnea, finding that it is proximately due to obesity caused by his service-connected left knee osteoarthritis and right knee condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been granted. The Board found that the Veteran had continuous symptoms of tinnitus since service and met the requirements for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b).

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increase in rating or service connection for any of the claimed conditions.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of March 18, 2020 for the awards of service connection for right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, a 10 percent rating for right and left knee strains with patellofemoral pain syndrome, and a 50 percent rating for headaches.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee and hip disabilities due to duty-to-assist errors, as well as issues related to Persian Gulf War exposures.