Knee decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claims for Athlete's foot, bilateral hearing loss (BHL), and bilateral tinnitus were denied. The claim for acne scars was granted.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, left knee disability, right knee disability, bilateral foot disability (including pes planus and hallux valgus), and back disability as secondary to a bilateral knee disability due to the lack of evidence meeting the criteria for a current disability.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, cervical spine, left shoulder (non-dominant), and non-allergic rhinitis with throat irritation were denied. The claim for left knee instability was granted with an effective date of January 12, 2007.,The Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for non-allergic rhinitis with throat irritation was dismissed due to lack of timely appeal and no new relevant evidence received within the applicable period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and his TDIU claim is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for unspecified depressive disorder with anxiety was denied as the earliest possible effective date is April 8, 2022.,The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of his left knee patellofemoral syndrome resulting in limitation of extension and flexion were denied because it was not factually ascertainable that an increase occurred prior to September 15, 2021.,Similarly, the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of his right knee patellofemoral syndrome resulting in limitation of extension and flexion were denied as well.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including depressive disorder and right knee conditions, prevent him from obtaining and following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's scar, s/p scrotal abscess is rated at a 10 percent rating for the entire appeal period.,The Veteran's right knee recurrent sprain with chronic arthralgia and limitation of flexion is remanded due to inadequate examination records.

Your service connection claims for COPD and a left knee disability have been dismissed because your requests were premature due to pending Higher Level Review (HLR) requests.

The Board denied service connection for right knee strain and right shin pain, finding that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and service.,The Veteran's assertions of in-service injury were not supported by the medical evidence.

The Veteran's left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities were evaluated. The Board denied increased ratings for all three conditions as the evidence did not support a higher rating based on current functional impairment.

The Board has granted service connection for low back and left knee disabilities, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for left ankle, left knee, right knee, and low back disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions in the November 2022 rating decision. The Veteran's claims will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's right wrist sprain and left knee femoropatellar and medial joint arthrosis have been granted service connection.,An effective date of February 8, 2019, has been assigned for the grant of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of bilateral knee conditions due to a lack of adequate VA opinions and additional development is required.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA opinion and a need for a new examination.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee disorder and denied service connection for hypertension. The decision also denies TDIU based on the Veteran's employment status.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prior to March 6, 2020, did not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU. However, VA policy requires that all Veterans who are unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation by reason of service-connected disabilities be rated totally disabled. The Board finds remand necessary to refer the claim to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has determined that the effective date for left and right knee instability is September 11, 2019. The case is being remanded to reconsider increased rating claims with consideration of the Veteran's September 11, 2019, statement.

The Board has remanded the claims for a right knee disability and TDIU due to inadequate development in previous remand directives. Additional VA examinations are needed to properly assess the severity of the appellant's right knee disabilities throughout the appeal period.