Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee condition and arthritis, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

Your appeals for service connection regarding a bilateral knee disability and lung disabilities (claimed as PPD conversion and tuberculosis) have been dismissed because the claims were not filed within one year of the most recent rating decision.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for obstructive sleep apnea, right knee disability, and left ankle disability were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings than those currently assigned.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The Veteran is not entitled to a rating in excess of 10 percent for his degenerative arthritis with IVDS status-post repair of the thoracolumbar spine, and he does not meet the criteria for service connection for a left knee disorder.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected. The Board has remanded the claims for a breathing condition, bilateral knee conditions, and back condition due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus, finding that it was aggravated by active duty service. The claims for right knee disorder and bilateral shin splints are being remanded.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of July 27, 2016 for the award of service connection for bilateral knee strain. The ratings for right and left knee strains in excess of 10% have been denied.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was rated at 10 percent, but the Board found no evidence of limitation to less than 60 degrees of forward flexion or combined range of motion less than 120 degrees. The right hip/femur disabilities were separately rated as 20 and 10 percent.,The Veteran's right knee strain was not evaluated for a higher rating, and the right hip scar did not meet criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the claims for cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder due to new evidence received since the final December 2015 rating decision. The Veteran's claims for hypertension, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right foot disorder, and left foot disorder are denied as there is no current disability at any point during the pendency of the claim.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left and right knee conditions due to inadequate medical examination and opinion, which failed to consider the Veteran's lay statements and prior medical records indicating bilateral knee pain.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar and right knee disorders, finding that these conditions are secondary to his service-connected left knee disorder.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a left knee disability, low back disability, and bilateral hearing loss due to procedural errors in previous decisions.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, as well as his persistent depressive disorder that is secondary to these knee disabilities. The evidence supports a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of bilateral knee degenerative joint disease as the appellant requested withdrawal prior to a decision.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations provided are inadequate and requires additional opinions to address the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to warrant readjudication of the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including right knee, left knee, pelvic bone, head injury, left breast, costochondritis, jawbone, low back, neck, right ankle, right thumb, acne, scarring on the head, and tinnitus.

The Veteran's separate 10 percent ratings for right and left knee disabilities under Diagnostic Code 5257 have been restored, effective May 20, 2019. The RO also granted restoration of a separate 10 percent rating for chondromalacia patella in each knee, effective May 20, 2019.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability and the temporary total rating for convalescence due to bilateral knee surgeries, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease resulting in current disability.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings in excess of 10 percent for various conditions have been dismissed.,The appeal for service connection for a right hip condition has also been dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for left hip disorder, right hip disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder as secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus, bilateral hallux rigidus, and right foot degenerative arthritis.