Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has granted service connection for right and left knee disabilities, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his active military service.

The Veteran's bilateral inguinal hernia was restored to a 40 percent rating effective November 16, 2017.,An earlier effective date of September 21, 2016, for the Veteran's total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is granted.

The Veteran's left wrist scar is not rated as compensable, and the Board has remanded his GERD claim due to insufficient evidence.,Service connection for right knee nerve damage cannot be established without a current diagnosis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for lower back pain, right ankle condition, right hip condition, and right knee condition must be remanded due to inadequate medical opinions in the June 2017 rating decision. The AOJ will need to obtain new VA examinations and medical opinions from a clinician.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability, right knee disability, and bilateral plantar fasciitis as secondary to service-connected shin splints and sciatic nerve radiculopathy.,The evidence did not support the Veteran's claims that her knee disabilities or plantar fasciitis were related to service.

The Veteran's psychiatric disorder is granted as secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral strain. The left knee disability and migraines are denied.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection of left and right knee disabilities due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's current knee disabilities may be associated with service, but further examination is needed.

The Board has remanded the case due to an error in providing notice of a right to a hearing before the initial decision was issued.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his right knee and lumbar spine disabilities have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion or other criteria.

The Board has granted a rating of 10 percent for the Veteran's service-connected transient ischemic attack (TIA) and denied all other claims, including those related to left knee disability, hyperlipidemia, vasectomy, and allergic rhinitis.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for a left knee disability is denied. The effective date is set at January 19, 2023.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple knee and ankle conditions due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection for flat feet due to untimely filing of a VA Form 10182. The claim for a compensable disability rating for left inguinal hernia was denied, and the claim for service connection for left knee is remanded.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, left knee condition, and right knee condition are not shown to be caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral heel spurs. Service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and increased rating for his right knee osteochondral trochlea lesion and associated scars have been denied. The effective date of the grant of service connection is set at March 19, 2020.

The Veteran's claims for TDIU and Dependents' Educational Assistance were denied as there was no factual basis to grant earlier effective dates, with the exception of a 10% increase in disability rating for tinnitus from October 29, 2017. The Board found that the Veteran did not become unemployable within one year prior to October 29, 2018.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of migraine headaches, right lower extremity neuropathy, or left lower extremity neuropathy. The Veteran's service treatment records show complaints of headaches and back pain but no diagnoses of these conditions.,For his heart condition and defibrillator implant, the Board finds that an addendum opinion is needed to address whether there is a relationship between the Veteran's current conditions and his service-connected hypertension.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a revision of an October 1990 rating decision that initially denied service connection for left knee traumatic arthritis, finding no clear and unmistakable error (CUE). The correct facts were known at the time, and the rules then in effect supported the denial.

The Veteran's left knee disability is being remanded for further review due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The Board finds that the evidence does not show a proximate cause of additional disability from VA medical or educational services, but acknowledges there may be fault on the part of VA in providing care and treatment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, including sedentary employment. The Board grants a TDIU based on the combined evaluation of his service-connected conditions.