Knee decisions — 2024

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not rated as compensable, but service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), left knee strain, and urticaria face, neck, back are granted.,Service connection is established for obstructive sleep apnea, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), left knee strain, and urticaria face, neck, back. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis, right knee osteoarthritis, and degenerative arthritis of the spine. The decision is based on a finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to military service.

The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence exists to warrant readjudication of the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability. The claims for right ankle, left ankle, and left knee disabilities are also remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee arthritis but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted readjudication of the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the left knee and arthritis of the right knee, finding that new evidence received since the January 2023 rating decision is relevant to the claim. The Board denied service connection as there was no chronicity during or after service.

The Veteran's service-connected rheumatoid arthritis and related disabilities are found to prevent him from working, and the case is being referred for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.

The Veteran's left knee brace was used regularly, causing damage to his clothing. The Board found that a clothing allowance for the 2020 calendar year is warranted due to regular use of the brace.

Your appeal has been dismissed because the Veteran died during the pendency of your appeal. The Board cannot issue a decision on the underlying claim(s) at this time.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for spinal bifida, bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active service.

The Board has granted service connection for GERD and a left knee disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disabilities. The evidence supports that both conditions are related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection was dismissed because the claims were not filed in response to a rating decision, which occurred more than one year prior.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for entitlement to service connection for right knee and left knee conditions due to a concurrent election issue.

The Veteran's right knee instability and chondromalacia of the patella have been granted a 10 percent disability rating, but no higher. The criteria for a higher rating are not met.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased evaluations are remanded due to a duty to assist error. The issues of entitlement to TDIU are also remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the other issues.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's left knee condition is secondary to his service-connected right knee disability. The new examination must address both causation and aggravation.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to October 26, 2020 of a 30% increased rating for left knee disability is denied as the June 2011 rating decision was not appealed within one year and the earliest effective date assignable is October 26, 2020.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient examination and opinion regarding other knee conditions, including knee strain. The Veteran's right knee arthritis is currently service-connected, but there are concerns about whether any other knee condition(s) may be related to his in-service injury.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of bilateral knee disability and right hip disability as untimely, due to failure to file a timely Notice of Disagreement.