Knee decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in physical loss of use of one or both hands or feet, permanent impairment of vision in both eyes, severe burn injury precluding effective operation of an automobile, ALS, or ankylosis of one or both knees or one or both hips. Therefore, the Veteran does not meet the eligibility criteria for financial assistance to purchase a vehicle and adaptive equipment.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as Major Depressive Disorder with anxious distress and panic attacks, and for residuals of a right knee fracture. The Veteran's claims are based on direct evidence from his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date than July 1, 2022, for additional dependency compensation for his current spouse was denied as he did not provide all necessary information to establish their relationship within one year of the relevant rating decisions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion and a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Veteran's left knee degenerative arthritis is currently rated at 10 percent. The Board finds that a remand is necessary due to the inconsistency between the Veteran's statements and the VA examination findings, requiring a new examination.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, depression, dizziness, light sensitivity, liver disorder, gynecological cyst, bladder disorder, headaches, allergies, hypothyroidism, cervical spine disorder, thoracolumbar spine disorder, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left winged scapula, left shoulder disorder, right winged scapula, right shoulder disorder, left knee strain, right knee strain, and left ankle sprain were all denied as there was no evidence of a service connection for these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee retropatellar pain syndrome and bilateral ankle strain, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, neck disability, coccydynia, erectile dysfunction, left hip osteoarthritis, right hip osteoarthritis, left knee degenerative arthritis with arthroscopy and medial meniscectomy, left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, right shoulder overuse syndrome, right elbow olecranon bursitis, and right elbow tendonitis. Service connection was granted for left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee limitation of extension has been dismissed as the issue is no longer pending.,The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates for the grants of a 20 percent evaluation for right knee instability and a 10 percent evaluation for right knee limitation of extension have been dismissed as the issues are no longer pending.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee strain, right shoulder strain, and right wrist strain, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to her in-service fall.

The Board has granted effective dates of August 31, 2009 for the awards of service connection for left knee instability, left knee surgical scars, and right knee surgical scar. The effective date is based on the date of claim rather than the date entitlement arose.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for knee disorders, right shoulder disorder, back disorder, and PTSD due to a duty to assist error. The appellant's service records are unclear, and further efforts must be made to obtain them.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, low back strain, right ankle loss of range of motion with laxity and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error and requires an additional VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right knee disorder.

The Board has denied service connection for low back disability, left shoulder condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and bilateral knee conditions due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, finding that these conditions were aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including chronic fatigue syndrome, other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder, fibromyalgia, IBS (Gulf War illness), and left knee strain with osteoarthritis, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since September 16, 2017. The Board has granted the TDIU for this period.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for lower back, right hip, and right knee conditions due to a pre-decisional error in obtaining sufficient medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his right hip internal derangement and right knee osteoarthritis have been denied. The VA has determined that the current ratings do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating in any of these cases.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's skin condition, back condition, right knee condition, left knee condition, right shoulder condition, and right hip condition. The conditions are deemed to have begun during and continued since his active service.