Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has dismissed all the claims related to various disabilities, including psychiatric disorders, hypothyroidism, neck disability, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left shoulder brachial plexus neuropraxia, and right knee disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various elbow and knee disabilities, as well as a cervical spine disability, due to lack of compliance with remand directives. The issues are now pending before the AOJ.

The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis is granted as service connected. The issue of service connection for psychiatric disability (including PTSD) and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities remains remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities cause him to need regular aid and assistance on a daily basis, leading to the grant of SMC A&A effective April 27, 2012.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding VA's care during and after the Veteran's right knee total arthroplasty, specifically concerning the delay in diagnosing and treating his post-surgery infection. The claims for service connection for back pain, right leg pain, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left ankle, right ankle, and left knee disorders due to a lack of medical opinion on the Veteran's new theory of direct service connection. The examiner is requested to provide an opinion on whether these conditions are related to service or if they were caused by his service-connected sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back, bilateral knee, and bilateral ankle conditions. Additionally, the TDIU claim is also being remanded due to the need for further development regarding service connection for residuals of lipoma excisions on various body parts.

The Board has dismissed all claims as the Veteran died during the appeal process and no eligible parties have been substituted in the appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and therefore denied his claim for TDIU. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a left foot disability as secondary to service-connected left knee degenerative joint disease is remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's left knee disorder and his active service.

The Board has remanded the appellant's claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error regarding his character of discharge. The issues are inextricably intertwined and require further development.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, finding that his preexisting left knee disability was aggravated during service and a contributory cause of his death.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have more nearly approximated the criteria for occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas since June 5, 2020.,From June 17, 2019, multiple service-connected disabilities rendered the Veteran unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's appeal to restore a 30% rating for service-connected knee conditions has been withdrawn by her representative.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected due to noise exposure during active duty.,The right knee disability and low back disability are remanded for further development, including obtaining a VA examination and medical opinion.,The sciatic radicular pain of the right leg is also remanded for further development, including obtaining a VA examination and medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and evaluations of his left knee disability, as well as DDD of the lumbar spine. The reasons include the need to consider whether a service-connected disability caused or aggravated obesity, which in turn affected the Veteran's left knee disability. Additionally, a retrospective examination is needed to assess the severity and progression of the Veteran's DDD during the periods on appeal.

The Board denied service connection for both the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, finding that there was insufficient evidence to support a link between his current conditions and his active military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee degenerative joint disease (instability) and limitation of flexion are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The AOJ must provide the Veteran with an opportunity to report for a VA examination to assess the current severity of his left knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for prostate cancer due to a lack of relevant medical records. The Veteran's other claims for knee and peripheral neuropathy disabilities are granted based on new evidence.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus, left hip disability, left shoulder disability, and right knee disability due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.