Knee decisions — 2024

The Veteran's PTSD with borderline personality disorder and mild alcohol use disorder is granted a disability rating of 70 percent, but no higher.

The Board has granted an effective date of November 15, 2018 for the award of a 30 percent rating for the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities. The decision is based on continuous pursuit of the claim since November 15, 2018.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for toenail fungus was denied. The Board found no evidence of toenail fungus during service and insufficient medical evidence to establish a relationship between the condition and service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, bilateral hip disorders, and bilateral knee disorders due to a lack of current diagnoses. The claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to errors in notice and duty to assist.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, but the claims for left and right knee disabilities are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for an employment handicap, as he has overcome any impairments to employability through his education, work history, and transferrable skills. Therefore, VR&E benefits are denied.

The Board has determined that new evidence received since the final rating decision supports readjudication of the Veteran's service connection claim for a right knee condition. However, due to a duty-to-assist error, the case is remanded to obtain an updated medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current right knee condition is aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal regarding higher ratings for service-connected residuals of the left knee. The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in VA's duty to assist, specifically regarding the Veteran's periods of INACDUTRA in the Army National Guard and obtaining relevant Federal records. The AOJ is instructed to take appropriate steps to obtain these records.

The Board has found that there is no current disability related to the Veteran's in-service left thigh injury, and thus denied service connection for this condition. The remaining claims of service connection for a left knee condition, a left shin condition, and a lower back condition are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shin splints, as well as his bilateral knee conditions. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to active duty service.

The Board has denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed right knee and right ankle disabilities, finding that any increase in severity during service was due to natural progression.

The Board has denied service connection for sickle cell anemia and remanded the remaining claims due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's right shoulder, back, and knee disabilities are also being remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral middle radicular group on a presumptive basis. The claims for left knee and left shoulder disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's left and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with instability are granted increased evaluations of 20 percent each.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further review due to inadequate prior examinations and the need for a new evaluation of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease, right knee degenerative arthritis, and left knee degenerative arthritis. The conditions are found to be related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral knee disabilities due to a lack of VA examination records and need for further medical evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbosacral spine disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability. The claims for these conditions are based on direct evidence of a nexus to service.