Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to his service-connected left knee and right ankle disabilities. The appeals are being returned for further development, including obtaining new VA examinations and addressing issues related to the effective dates of service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral knee disabilities, including those based on limitation of motion and total knee replacements (TKRs), were denied. The appeals are pending.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and records.,Issues related to headaches, hands, cervical spine, lumbar spine, right hip, right knee, and right ankle are all being reviewed.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal in April 2024, and the Board dismissed the case as a result.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including right ankle sprain, left ankle sprain, bilateral foot disability, back disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities or a relationship to service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee condition, finding that his current left knee strain is related to his combat service in Iraq.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and right knee condition are related to service. However, due to inadequate opinions from VA examiners regarding these conditions, the cases have been remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran is granted a fourth clothing allowance for the benefit year 2022 due to his use of Canadian crutches, which tend to wear out or tear his shirts. The amendment in December 2022 applies to this claim.

The Board is unable to adjudicate the earlier effective dates for service connection as they were not addressed in the June 2022 rating decision. The case must be remanded for development and adjudication of these issues.

The Veteran's claim for a clothing allowance for his bilateral knee braces in the calendar year 2022 is being remanded due to inadequate notice and lack of evidence regarding the use of his knee braces.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, left knee strain, and right knee strain due to pre-existing duty to assist errors. The VA clinician is requested to provide opinions regarding direct and secondary service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including lower back condition with back pain/arthritis, shin splints with pain, TBI, bilateral knee conditions, bilateral ankle conditions, bilateral shoulder/arm conditions, bilateral wrist conditions, and bilateral elbow conditions, are not service-connected.,The VA examiners found no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's claimed disabilities and his military service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, and the Board dismissed all issues related to service connection for peptic ulcer disease, bilateral knee condition, and bilateral hand condition.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee strain, left knee strain, and back injury due to missed VA examinations. The Veteran is required to appear for a VA examination to determine if his current conditions are related to military service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection and a 20 percent evaluation for left knee strain, patellofemoral pain syndrome with limitation of flexion is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection and a 20 percent evaluation for left knee strain, patellofemoral pain syndrome with limitation of extension is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection and a 20 percent evaluation for right knee strain, patellofemoral pain syndrome with limitation of extension is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection and a 20 percent evaluation for right knee strain, patellofemoral pain syndrome with limitation of flexion is denied.

The Board has remanded several claims for increased ratings and service connection due to duty-to-assist errors, including obtaining private treatment records and VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional evidence and examination.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities meet the schedular criteria for entitlement to individual unemployability from November 1, 2018. The Board finds that the Veteran is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

Effective dates of June 20, 2020, but not earlier, have been granted for the awards of various disability ratings due to osteoarthritis and chronic kidney disease.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee condition, left knee condition, right foot condition, and stomach issues were denied in April 2019 and October 2019. The claim was dismissed as moot because the AOJ accepted the October 11, 2021, supplemental claim but did not grant any of the requested benefits.