Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has granted an effective date of July 1, 2012 for the Veteran's TDIU and DEA eligibility. The decision is based on the fact that the Veteran became unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities starting from January 26, 2009.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors, including obtaining records from non-VA providers and verifying periods of active duty for training.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented her from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment since May 20, 2017. Her TDIU claim is granted with an effective date of May 20, 2017.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right leg disabilities, bilateral foot disability, left toe disability, and right toe disability. The claim for service connection for a right knee disability is also remanded.,Service connection was not granted as there is no current diagnosis of any of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for neck, back, and bilateral knee disorders due to insufficient evidence indicating a relationship between these conditions and service. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine strain, right and left knee strain, and bilateral wrist with carpal tunnel and tendinitis are being remanded due to the need for a VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of her claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left hand disability has been granted due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. Claims for service connection for left knee pain and right knee pain remain denied.

The Veteran's GERD condition is granted a disability rating of 30 percent. The claims for service connection for left and right knee conditions are remanded due to inadequate VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine, cervical spine, and bilateral knee disabilities are not attributable to active military service.

The Board has denied an increased rating for right knee instability and a compensable rating for the Veteran's right knee scar, finding that the evidence does not support ratings higher than 20 percent for these conditions.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period prior to May 30, 2018 is being remanded as there is insufficient evidence to determine if she is unemployable due to her service-connected disabilities. The AOJ must refer the case to the Director of Compensation Services for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's gastroenteritis claim must be remanded due to a lack of evidence showing current disability. The remaining issues on appeal are also remanded for additional development.

The appeal seeking service connection for a back condition and an initial rating of 10 percent for right knee instability was denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee laceration scar is service-connected and warrants a rating of 10 percent. However, there is insufficient evidence to determine if his patella fracture and misalignment are related to service. The claim for this condition is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder and right knee disabilities have been denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder and left knee disabilities are being remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and denied an earlier effective date for the award of TDIU. The decision on the left knee disability claim is based on direct service connection, while the TDIU claim was granted with an effective date of October 15, 2020.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral knee osteoarthritis and low back pain with spinal stenosis, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The effective date for the TDIU is April 5, 2021.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment prior to March 17, 2017.

The Veteran's service-connected right wrist and left knee disabilities prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment starting from June 1, 2011.