Knee decisions — 2024

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of February 1, 2003 for service connection for unspecified anxiety disorder and right knee disability and left knee disability. This was based on the receipt of relevant official service department records that existed but had not been associated with the claims file when VA first decided the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability is etiologically related to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board dismissed the matter of service connection for dental trauma. Service connection was granted for a psychiatric disability, bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, right knee disability, skin condition, gastritis, and occipital laceration.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations that consider his flare-ups of knee pain and current back condition.

The Board has granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for left ankle, right knee, and bilateral shin splints disabilities.

The Veteran's left total knee reconstruction with left quadriceps atrophy is rated 60 percent disabling, the maximum rating available under VA regulations.

The Veteran's service-connected chronic right knee neurodermatitis and tinnitus were both denied increased ratings.,Specifically, the Veteran was seeking a higher rating for his right knee condition, but the Board found that the evidence did not support an increase beyond the current 10 percent rating.

The Veteran withdrew their appeals for service connection of left knee meniscal tear and right knee condition, both claimed as bilateral knee conditions. The Board dismissed these issues.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal concerning increased ratings for left knee and lumbosacral strains, and for chronic lymphedema.

The Veteran's service connection for sleep apnea, including as secondary to his service-connected disabilities of degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine with spinal fusion and bilateral knee degenerative arthritis, is denied because the evidence does not support a finding that obesity (an intermediate step) was caused or aggravated by these service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including allergic rhinitis, deviated nasal septum, sleep apnea, and sinusitis. The Veteran's current knee and ankle disabilities were also not found to be related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right knee strains, finding that the Veteran's complaints of knee pain during deployment and post-service treatment records support a finding of in-service onset.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and rating increases based on allegations of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in previous decisions. The Veteran was not provided proper notice regarding his premature filing of these CUE claims, which may affect future review options.

The Board denied service connection for left ankle, right ankle, left hip, right hip, left knee, right knee, and back disabilities due to a lack of competent and probative evidence indicating current diagnoses of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the cases for correction of a duty to assist error, specifically regarding missing medical records from the Veteran's primary care provider. The issues are related to service connection for left and right knee pain.

The Board has denied service connection for gastroenteritis and colitis, hemorrhoids, and left knee pain. Service connection was granted for a low back disability.,Service connection for right eye injury is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is denied for ratings in excess of the currently assigned disability ratings for various knee conditions, including right and left knee flexion and extension limitations. Separate ratings are granted for limitation of extension of both knees. The Veteran's left knee total replacement rating remains at 30 percent after May 1, 2017.

Your appeals for increased ratings for left wrist sprain and right knee recurrent strain have been dismissed because the claims were still being processed under the legacy review system, not the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) system.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, left ankle sprain, and left knee condition are dismissed due to procedural defects in how the appeal was filed under the AMA system.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected right heel disorder and his claimed right knee condition. The claim will be reviewed again with a new examination.