Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder, but has remanded it for further development and an opinion regarding whether his current condition is related to his service-connected right knee degenerative joint disease.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for arthritis, eye conditions, hypertension, and lower back pain are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's left knee condition, as the current evidence does not fully comply with Correia v. McDonald.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities alone did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to May 11, 2016.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to deficiencies in the development of evidence, particularly regarding the severity of his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to properly evaluate the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including a new VA examination for his psychiatric disorder and knee and spine disabilities.

The Veteran's left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome is granted a 20% rating, effective January 24, 2023. The right knee retropatellar pain syndrome is denied any increase in rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current left knee disability is directly related to his service or secondary to a pre-existing condition. The Veteran contends that cellulitis resulting from an in-service injury to his left heel caused septic arthritis, which led to his current left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and traumatic brain injury due to incomplete information from the Veteran regarding his employment history.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly rate the Veteran's bilateral knee and right wrist disabilities, including obtaining new VA examinations and medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and right knee disability as secondary to his service-connected intervertebral disc degeneration due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is denied as the schedular criteria for TDIU were not met prior to April 1, 2015. The effective date of TDIU cannot be earlier than the effective date of service connection for the underlying disability or disabilities upon which the TDIU is based.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various conditions, including low back condition, cervical spine condition, knee conditions, shoulder conditions, peripheral neuropathy, and thyroid condition. The effective dates are not specified.

The Veteran's left and right knee conditions have been rated at 40 percent for the entire period on appeal, with separate ratings of 10 percent for flexion and instability. The Veteran's claims are granted.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for right knee, left knee, and low back conditions due to incomplete medical records and inadequate examination.

The Veteran's detached retina with decreased vision began during active service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The other issues on appeal are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy is dismissed as the disability has already been granted. Service connection for a cervical spine disability is granted, with all doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, left foot disability, right hand disability, and right knee disability due to a full grant of benefits in a February 2021 rating decision. The appeals regarding obstructive sleep apnea and lower back disability are remanded.

The appeal for an increased rating for a lumbar spine disability has been withdrawn. The appeals for the left ankle, left knee, left shoulder, and right ankle disabilities are being remanded.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for various shoulder and knee conditions, increased ratings for knee disabilities, and an effective date for hearing loss. Additional evidence was added since the last rating decision but not considered by the AOJ.