Knee decisions — 2024

The Veteran's appeal regarding the April 1, 2020 rating decision was dismissed as he did not timely file a VA Form 10182 and good cause has not been shown to extend the filing deadline.

Effective dates of May 20, 2019, have been granted for the service connection of generalized anxiety disorder, degenerative arthritis of both knees and the thoracolumbar spine, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee strain, finding that it began during his active duty service.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea. The claims for bilateral foot disability, right knee disability, and gastritis are remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a left arm condition is denied. The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis, with limitation of motion, is granted at 40 percent. A separate rating of 10 percent is granted for residual symptoms of meniscal injury of the left knee. Service connection claims for cervical spine and left shoulder conditions are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the severity of his symptoms and flare-ups.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the reinstatement of a separate evaluation for instability of the left knee, effective May 24, 2019.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent her from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment during the period on appeal, thus TDIU is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee strains due to a lack of sufficient evidence to decide the claim, including the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's hypertension, left knee arthralgia, right knee arthralgia, lumbar strain with DDD, and shoulder disabilities are not shown to be related to service.,Erectile dysfunction is not shown to be caused by or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), right knee disability, and bilateral hallux valgus (bunions). The effective dates were not addressed as they are not relevant to the disposition.

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disorder due to lack of current diagnosis and no indication of symptoms resulting in functional impairment.,The Veteran's left knee disability was not granted an increased rating as her flexion did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5260.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, rated at 10% each, are denied as the evidence does not support a higher rating based on instability or limitation of motion.

The Veteran's service-connected left and right hand arthritis have been granted. The Veteran's service-connected left knee arthritis has also been granted, but a rating in excess of the current 30 percent for his adjustment disorder prior to June 22, 2020, and from that date remains denied.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to procedural errors in the examination and a need for updated evidence. The issues of increased ratings for her knee disabilities, TDIU, and SMC based on aid and attendance are all related and require further review.

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus, hypertension associated with herbicide agent exposure, bilateral pes planus with bilateral plantar fasciitis, and vasectomy scar residuals have been granted. The remaining issues of service connection for hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, right knee disability, prostate disability, skin disabilities, right ankle disability, esophageal disability, hemorrhoids, and left eye disability are being remanded.,The Veteran's claims for recurrent lumbar spine disability (including degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis), recurrent right knee disability (including osteoarthritis), recurrent prostate disability (including benign prostate hyperplasia), recurrent skin disability (including tinea versicolor, tinea corporis, tinea cruris, and eczema), recurrent right ankle disability (including cellulitis), recurrent esophageal disability (GERD), hemorrhoids, and acquired left eye disability (including corneal abrasion and cataract) are being remanded.

The Board dismissed the appeal for an earlier effective date and higher initial evaluation for instability of the right knee as the Veteran's May 2021 VA Form 10182 was improperly docketed and did not properly raise a specific error or law.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for right knee instability prior to December 4, 2019, and a separate 10 percent rating for symptomatic removal of semilunar cartilage. The Veteran's symptoms approximated moderate lateral instability.

The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations for PTSD and right knee strain have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as none of his service-connected disabilities meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU, and there is no evidence that they render him unemployable.