Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee conditions, as well as his acquired psychiatric disability. The AOJ did not provide a VA examination or opinion in these cases prior to making its decisions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder and right knee conditions due to insufficient evidence in the record, including a lack of STRs and private treatment records. The VA examiner will be asked to provide opinions on whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran is granted a 20 percent disability rating for his right knee meniscal tear and degenerative arthritis from June 27, 2016 to October 30, 2019.,The Veteran's increased rating claim for the right knee disability from October 31, 2019 is denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the ratings for left knee conditions and back pain, leaving no issues to be decided by the Board.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the Veteran's service connection claims due to a failure to file proper appeal forms within one year of final denial.

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy are granted as secondary to his service-connected thoracolumbar spine disorder. The issues of service connection for seizure disorder, headache disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, right upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral flatfoot remain pending.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on several knee and lower extremity conditions have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU effective February 16, 2018, due to her service-connected disabilities preventing her from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied an effective date prior to April 9, 1996, for the award of a TDIU on an extraschedular basis due to insufficient evidence showing that the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability alone precluded him from securing and following any substantially gainful employment.

Service connection for a chronic fatigue disability including fibromyalgia is granted, and service connection for psoriatic arthritis of the bilateral elbows and knees is denied. The Veteran's mild cognitive impairment is rated at 10 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for VR&E benefits, finding that he did not have an employment handicap due to his service-connected disabilities and was therefore not in need of rehabilitation.

The May 2021 rating decision granting a separate rating for left knee limitation of extension was not an initial decision under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) and therefore is not subject to AMA review. The appeal is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal for right eye pain is dismissed due to a lack of a decision within one year preceding the VA Form 10182.,The Veteran's claim for left knee pain and sinus infections was denied as there is no persuasive evidence that these conditions began during service or are related to in-service injuries or diseases.,The Veteran's skin problems, including facial acne, were granted service connection based on the benefit of doubt due to her competent descriptions of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his service-connected lumbar and cervical spine disabilities, as well as radiculopathy in multiple extremities, are being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome claim is also being remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, lumbar spine disability, and right knee disability.

The Veteran's left and right knees are currently rated at 10 percent for degenerative joint disease with patellofemoral pain syndrome.,Neither knee has been shown to warrant a higher rating based on limitation of motion or instability.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at noncompensable (0%) due to the severity of his hearing impairment.,The Veteran's right ankle strain, chondromalacia right patella with anterior cruciate ligament tear based on limitation of flexion, and right patella with anterior cruciate ligament tear are all rated at 30% each.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a scar left index finger from laceration is granted. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and a left knee disability are remanded, as the evidence does not support their grant. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) is also remanded due to insufficient medical opinion.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for his right knee condition, finding that he was disabled from an injury incurred during a period of INACDUTRA. The decision is based on evidence showing a current diagnosis and a history of injury during active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of right shoulder, left hip, or right knee disabilities. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.