Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ankle, right ankle, and left knee disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions. The issues are related to his active service as a parachutist.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted a rating of 70 percent, effective from the date of the decision.,Service connection for sleep apnea is granted and rated at 100 percent.

The Veteran's left knee bursitis is granted a 20 percent evaluation, and her PTSD is granted a 70 percent evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee as secondary to his service-connected right knee sprain and for bilateral feet/cold-weather injury are being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective June 7, 2016.,An earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for psoriasis and left knee sprain is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, osteoarthritis of the left hip, and osteoarthritis of the right hip as secondary to service-connected bilateral knee disabilities. Service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist is also granted.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection on all claimed conditions due to the appellant's death.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee pain/strain, left knee pain/strain, a left ankle disability, and tinnitus due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's active service included Southwest Asia theater of operations.

The Board has granted readjudication of the claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as an initial rating for service-connected left Achilles tendonitis. The appellant's left Achilles tendonitis is rated at a 20 percent disability rating.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee PFPS and right knee arthritis, but denied the remaining claims including bilateral hearing loss, female problems (including lack of sex drive and fibroids), left hip condition, right hip condition, lower back condition, and bilateral foot condition.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings have been withdrawn, resulting in the dismissal of all related issues.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations of record are inadequate for adjudication as they did not apply the correct standard of proof, did not address worsening or aggravation, and did not support the findings with an adequate rationale. The Veteran's claims for service connection for lower back, left hip, and right hip disabilities secondary to service-connected disabilities must be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left and right knee conditions have been denied as the evidence does not support a rating in excess of 60 percent.,Effective dates earlier than August 16, 2019, are not available due to lack of prior claim or established increase in severity within one year.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee strain, tibiofemoral chondromalacia, and degenerative joint disease, status post left total knee arthroplasty, finding that the evidence is approximately evenly balanced as to whether these conditions began during active service.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for left shoulder, lumbar spine, and bilateral knee disabilities were denied. The Board found that the current ratings of 20% are appropriate based on the evidence showing no limitation of motion to 25 degrees from the side in the left shoulder, and no significant impairment in range of motion or function in the lumbar spine and bilateral knees.

The Veteran's appeals for left ankle, right ankle, and low back conditions have been dismissed. The Veteran's right knee disability and OSA were granted service connection.

The Veteran's right knee arthritis is rated at 10 percent, the maximum for degenerative arthritis without limitation of motion or instability. The Board found that his flexion was limited to 120 degrees, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left knee conditions due to a lack of adequate medical opinion in the March 2021 VA examination.

The Veteran's left knee scar is not rated as painful or unstable, and does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,There is insufficient evidence to establish that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric condition (PTSD) is related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for pes planus, right knee disability, and post-operative residuals of tarsal coalition calcaneonavicular, left foot due to inadequate examination reports. The AOJ is instructed to provide a new examination report that addresses functional loss due to repeat use over time and/or flare-ups.