Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to the Veteran's failure to appear for VA examinations. The cases will be returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for his service connection decisions, stating that the claims were not continuously pursued prior to December 14, 2015.

The Board denied service connection for a right hip disability, cervical spine disability, and right knee disability. The Veteran's current diagnoses of these conditions were not established until after separation from active service.,Service connection was also denied for migraines and renal colic.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations provided for the Veteran's cervical spine, left shoulder, left knee, and lower back disabilities were inadequate due to a lack of information on where pain begins during motion. The Board therefore orders remand for further examination.

The appeal of the increased disability rating for PTSD has been dismissed due to the appellant's withdrawal. The claims for compensable ratings and service connection have been remanded.

The Board denied service connection for various foot, ankle, hip, and knee disorders as well as nerve damage due to a lack of current diagnoses.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left elbow, left knee, and low heart rate disabilities due to insufficient evidence of a current disability related to active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for insomnia was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.,Service connection was granted for a right foot disability, separate from his service-connected triple arthrodesis. The Board found an additional right foot disability related to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for chronic bilateral knee strain or bilateral hip disability, and there was insufficient evidence to grant service connection for neurological disabilities of the lower extremities, hypertension, endocrine disability, or unspecified muscle disability.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection for various foot and hip disabilities, as well as a psychiatric disability. The appeal for service connection for athlete's foot was withdrawn by the Veteran at his hearing.

The Veteran's right knee degenerative arthritis is granted as secondary to his service-connected left knee disability. His left knee disability, characterized by limitation of flexion, is granted a 40 percent rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence linking any service-connected condition to his suicide.

The Board has denied service connection for fibromyalgia, low back disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected bilateral foot disabilities.

The Veteran's left knee tendonitis and lumbar spine arthritis are being remanded for further examination to determine the severity of his disabilities during flare-ups.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his right knee condition was dismissed because he died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues with obtaining VA Behavioral Health Autopsy Program (BHAP) records and obtaining an adequate medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death. The appellant contends that the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including hydrocodone prescribed for COPD, contributed to his suicide.

The Board has remanded the claims for a left knee condition, right knee condition, and neck condition due to errors in the decision-making process. The AOJ needs to consider all evidence submitted since August 2018 when the Veteran opted into the modernized system.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for DM has been dismissed.,The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to May 7, 2019 for the grant of service connection for left ear hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder, right hip, right knee, and left knee disabilities are remanded.

The appeal seeking service connection for right knee meniscal tear previously denied as arthritis of the right knee (now claimed as right knee condition) as secondary to left knee revision total knee arthroplasty is dismissed.

The appeals of the denial of service connection for tinnitus and cataracts are dismissed. The increased rating in excess of 30 percent for asthma is denied, while the issues of sleep apnea, left knee joint arthritis with painful motion (extension), and TDIU are remanded.