Knee decisions — 2026

The Veteran's tinnitus, right shoulder impingement syndrome, right knee arthralgia, and right ankle condition have been granted service connection. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has not been established for VA purposes. An initial rating of 40 percent for lumbar intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) is granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for GERD and a left knee disability due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, specifically regarding the need for medical opinions on causation and aggravation.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left knee degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine stenosis and DDD, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left shoulder bicipital tendonitis, cervical spine DDD, stenosis and facet arthropathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy have all been granted. The claims are based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left knee degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine stenosis and DDD, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left shoulder bicipital tendonitis, cervical spine DDD, stenosis and facet arthropathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy have all been granted. The claims are based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left knee degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine stenosis and DDD, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left shoulder bicipital tendonitis, cervical spine DDD, stenosis and facet arthropathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy have all been granted. The claims are based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left knee degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine stenosis and DDD, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left shoulder bicipital tendonitis, cervical spine DDD, stenosis and facet arthropathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy have all been granted. The claims are based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral knee disabilities are found to be related to service. The Veteran's urinary frequency is remanded for further review as it may be secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder.

Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for bronchitis is denied.,An initial disability rating of 70 percent, but no higher, for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, chronic is granted.

The Veteran is granted effective dates of April 16, 2018 for the initial evaluations of 40 percent for left and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy.,An earlier effective date of March 1, 2018 was also granted for a separate evaluation for right knee instability.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left knee degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine stenosis and DDD, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left shoulder bicipital tendonitis, cervical spine DDD, stenosis and facet arthropathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy have all been granted. The claims are based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left knee degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine stenosis and DDD, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left shoulder bicipital tendonitis, cervical spine DDD, stenosis and facet arthropathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy have all been granted. The claims are based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's disability rating for traumatic arthritis of right knee with three surgical scars was restored to 20 percent effective July 1, 2020. The reduction in the rating was found to be improper due to a lack of compliance with VA regulations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar degenerative disc disease and left knee patellar chondromalacia with enthesophyte formation at the quadratus femoris tendon due to inadequate VA examination reports. The Veteran will be scheduled for further examinations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability of hearing loss in either ear.,Service connection is granted for tinnitus, with the onset during service and persistence over time. The Board finds that the Veteran was exposed to noise during service and his symptoms are attributable to this exposure.

The Veteran's prescribed topical skin medication, triamcinolone cream, caused irreparable damage to his clothing and the Board granted a clothing allowance for 2020 based on this.

The Board has decided the appeal based on evidence from prior decisions. The Veteran's claims for tinnitus, right knee strain, left leg condition, and bilateral hearing loss are all remanded due to inadequate examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and he is granted a TDIU with an effective date of January 31, 2019.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee condition, prostate cancer, type II diabetes, and high blood pressure. The issues of service connection for these conditions are all remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left knee degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine stenosis and DDD, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left shoulder bicipital tendonitis, cervical spine DDD, stenosis and facet arthropathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy have all been granted. The claims are based on direct service connection.

The appeal of the denial of entitlement to service connection for a back condition is dismissed. The claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral pes planus, left knee condition, and right knee condition are remanded.