Knee decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities, including lumbar spine, right hip, left hip, right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities, to obtain additional medical opinions regarding their relationship to the Veteran's service-connected flat foot with plantar fasciitis and bilateral bone spur.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to insufficient evidence regarding the severity of the Veteran's service-connected conditions during flare-ups and employment history.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee strain, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that the evidence did not support higher evaluations or service connection.

The Board denied an initial compensable rating for the Veteran's scar left knee suprapatellar puncture wound status post, finding that there was no evidence of a painful or unstable scar during the appeal period.

The Veteran's unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress was found to more closely approximate occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, warranting a 30 percent rating. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent was denied.

The Board remands the appeal for a VA examination that addresses the current severity of the service-connected left knee disability, including functional loss and instability.

The Board dismissed the claims for earlier effective dates and higher ratings for various conditions, including left eye condition, right eye condition, hypertension, left knee, right knee, obstructive sleep apnea, and coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as denied an earlier effective date for CAD.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for severe pain in bilateral knees due to missing evidence, including VA and private treatment records from 1978 to July 1987.

The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee condition but denied it for her left hip condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with bruxism, as well as remanded claims for service connection and increased rating.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, including left hip pain, right hip strain, left knee strain (claimed as instability), and right knee strain (claimed as instability) due to a lack of evidence supporting their direct relationship with his active military service. The claims for chronic plantar fasciitis, bilateral; right ankle strain; right shoulder strain; and chronic back pain were also denied.

The Board remands the claims for further development due to a duty to assist error in not obtaining pertinent VA treatment records from 2012-2015.

The Board granted increased ratings for sinusitis, left knee condition, right knee condition, back condition, and right hip condition, effective from August 15, 2023.

The Board granted an effective date of December 5, 2022, for the award of a TDIU and basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance based on permanent and total disability status.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, granted a 0% rating for cholinergic urticaria, quiescent, and remanded the claim for hypertension.

The veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability prior to April 28, 2020, and denied earlier effective dates for DEA benefits. The Board granted restoration of a 50 percent disability rating for migraines effective July 1, 2023, but denied ratings in excess of the assigned levels for other conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain, left knee strain status post left fibula and ankle injuries, right knee strain with painful motion, and right knee strain with limitation of extension.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for tinnitus, service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for right and left shoulder disorders. The claim for a right knee disorder was remanded.