Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for avascular necrosis, left femoral head, feet pain, eye problems, neck disability, insomnia, right knee disability, left knee disability, and right hip disability as there is no evidence of these conditions during active duty or within a year of discharge. The Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to establish that any of the claimed disabilities were incurred in service.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability and a lumbar spine disability, finding that these conditions are etiologically related to active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative arthritis of the spine, right knee replacement post-operative, left total knee replacement, and radiculopathies, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted entitlement to TDIU on schedular basis.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart murmur has been dismissed.,Service connection is granted for unspecified depressive disorder.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to an error in providing notice of the Veteran's right to a hearing.

The Veteran's left knee strain and unspecified depressive disorder are granted as service-connected, with the latter being secondary to his now service-connected left knee strain.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is granted as service-connected, while the cervical, left knee, right knee, and right shoulder disabilities are remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent for limitation of flexion, and a separate 10 percent rating is granted for slight instability since May 5, 2021. The higher ratings are denied.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for left and right foot disabilities, left and right knee disabilities, and kidney disability due to incomplete development of service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 30 percent disability rating for right knee degenerative arthritis with limitation of extension, finding that continuous pursuit of the issue was not established and that worsening of the condition did not occur within one year prior to receipt of the November 2020 VA Form 21-526EZ.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's left knee arthritis and his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including degenerative arthritis of the back and multiple hip, knee, ankle, and plantar fasciitis conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted TDIU effective December 12, 2018.

The appeal regarding the timeliness of a May 2023 VA Form 10182 is dismissed because the Veteran's Motion for Extension of Time was granted, and the initial denial of service connection for left knee disability remains moot.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connection for compensation purposes.,Service connection is denied for a sleep disability due to insufficient evidence linking the condition to service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the other issues (low back condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, and acquired psychiatric disorder) are remanded due to insufficient evidence.,For the low back condition, the Board finds that there is not enough evidence to establish a link between the condition and service. The examiner will be asked to provide an addendum opinion.

Service connection for a left knee disability is denied.,An effective date earlier than July 12, 2017 for service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy is denied.,The initial rating for the service-connected left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) higher than 10 percent is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran asserts his chronic knee pain had onset during airborne training, which he believes is related to an in-service parachute injury.

Your appeal seeking service connection for your right knee iliotibial band syndrome and left knee degenerative arthritis has been dismissed as you submitted a supplemental claim while also filing an NOD, which is not allowed under the AMA.

Your appeal for service connection and increased ratings has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal through his authorized representative.