Knee decisions — 2024

The Veteran's request for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions, including right ring finger fracture, decreased grip strength of the right hand, chronic elbow and knee disabilities, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD), is being remanded due to insufficient evidence. The VA will obtain updated treatment records, authorize private medical records, and schedule examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to incomplete service treatment records and the need for additional examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee, left knee, and cervical spine disorders due to a motor vehicle accident in 1971. The case is returned for further development.

The Board has granted separate 10 percent ratings for instability and limitation of extension in each knee, but the RO failed to substantially comply with remand directives regarding flare-ups. The Veteran's claim is REMANDED for a VA examination to address additional functional loss during flare-ups.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions considering his work history and lay statements regarding his ability to perform as an electrician or support technician.

The Board has withdrawn the claims for service connection for seizures and a knee disability, as well as granted service connection for low back disability and left shoulder disability.,Service connection for tinnitus was dismissed as it was already granted in an earlier decision.

The Board denied service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for the Veteran's cervical spine, right shoulder, and right knee disabilities due to VA treatment in July 2009. The Board found that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and active service or VA treatment.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a low back disorder is reopened and granted. The claims for residuals of TBI, bilateral eye disorder, lumbar spine disorder, bilateral hip disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and bilateral foot disorder are denied. Service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral shoulder disorder, MDD, and hypertension are also denied.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, left shoulder, and right shoulder disabilities due to inadequate medical examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the receipt of new and material evidence. The issues of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a skin condition, and right shoulder and left knee disabilities are being addressed.

The Veteran's requests to reopen claims for service connection for right and left knee DJD were denied. The appeals for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD, a rating in excess of 50 percent for OSA, and TDIU are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities are being remanded due to incomplete medical records. The VA will obtain all the missing treatment records and then readjudicate the claims.

The Board has dismissed the claim for tinea pedis as moot and granted service connection for varicose veins of the right leg. The remaining claims, including those for a right forearm disability and left knee strain, are remanded.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claims for service connection can be adjudicated on the merits. The Veteran's sleep apnea claim, hypertension claim, erectile dysfunction claim, lower back condition claim, migraine headaches claim, right knee condition claim, and left knee condition claim are all being remanded.

The Veteran's SMC at the housebound rate is granted from May 1, 2011 to August 12, 2022 due to having a single service-connected disability rated as 100 percent and other disabilities independently ratable at 60 percent.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities are rated at the maximum allowable under current rating criteria, with no evidence of additional limitation or instability warranting higher ratings.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as OSA secondary to PTSD. Service connection is denied for memory loss.,Service connection was established based on chronic in-service symptoms that have persisted post-service.

The Board has granted service connection for left ankle degenerative arthritis, left leg tibia and fibula malunion with degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine spondylosis, left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee degenerative arthritis, cervical spine degenerative arthritis and DDD with neural impingement at the C6-C7 disc, and right shoulder tendonitis and arthritis.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for the residuals of a stroke and entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The case is being returned for further development.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,High cholesterol is not considered a disability for VA compensation purposes and thus, the claim for this condition is denied.,The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar spine disability, right shoulder disability, right knee disability, right ankle disability, bilateral hearing loss, right eye disability, and heart disability to obtain medical opinions regarding their etiology.,The Veteran's PTSD remains at a 30 percent rating. The claim for an initial rating higher than 30 percent is remanded as the SOC has not yet been issued.,All other claims are remanded.