Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lower back condition and right knee condition due to new and material evidence. The cases are remanded for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran withdrew his claim for service connection for chronic headaches. The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a left ankle condition and a left knee condition, including as secondary to a left ankle condition.

The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board found that a higher rating was not warranted based on limitation of motion. The evidence did not support a finding of degenerative arthritis involving two or more major joints with occasional incapacitating exacerbations.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for chronic headaches, UTIs, left knee arthritis, tinnitus, bilateral plantar fasciitis, and a low back condition due to new and material evidence. These issues are being remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, requiring a new opinion on whether the Veteran's left knee disability is related to service.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for low back condition, right knee condition, left knee condition, right ankle condition, left ankle condition, and lower extremity radiculopathy due to lack of authorization from the Veteran's private treatment provider.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to the Veteran's request for VA examiners' curriculum vitae and the need for new VA examinations.

The Board has remanded several claims related to PTSD, right knee disability, left knee disability, and TDIU due to the submission of new evidence. The Veteran must provide a waiver for this new evidence before it can be considered by the Board.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are service-connected, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee conditions, with the right knee condition being secondary to the left knee condition, must be remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and left ankle disabilities due to inadequate VA examination findings. Additional evidence is requested, including VA treatment records from August 2023 onwards.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, right knee strain, left knee strain, and left ear hearing loss have been granted.,The Veteran's claims for right hip strain and left hip strain are pending and will be remanded to the RO for further evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, bilateral ankles, and lower back conditions are remanded due to insufficient opinion regarding secondary service connection. The claims will be returned to the RO for further action.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis, and a back disability secondary to bilateral knee osteoarthritis due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for right knee strain has been withdrawn. Service connection is granted for PTSD and TMJ pain disorder, but the claim for a sleep disorder and TDIU remains pending.

The Board has dismissed the issue of entitlement to a 10 percent rating for multiple service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for left knee scars is denied, and his claim for an initial compensable rating for left varicocele, including extraschedular consideration, is remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD, compensable rating for osteoporosis, and service connection for a left knee disability are all denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence linking his current right knee condition to his active-duty service or any service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has remanded several issues related to effective dates and initial disability ratings for various disabilities, including lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right knee derangement, surgical scar from right nephrectomy, and TDIU. The AOJ is instructed to readjudicate these issues with consideration of all evidence added since the April 2020 statement of the case.

The Board has denied service connection for left, right ankle conditions and bilateral knee conditions as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to military service.