Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and knee disorders are remanded for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion to address the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left knee degenerative joint disease and initial compensable rating for service-connected left ear hearing loss have been denied. The Board has also remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss and migraines.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for increased rating and service connection claims due to his withdrawal of these appeals in an April 2024 statement.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of a psychiatric disability, right knee disability, and lumbar spine disability. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was also denied as it did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing all issues related to service connection for various disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for various disabilities, including a bilateral eye disability, left shoulder disability, right ankle disability, right knee disability, right elbow disability, tinnitus, and TBI due to duty-to-assist errors in scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings in multiple service-connected disabilities have been dismissed. A TDIU has been granted due to the combined effect of his psychiatric and physical disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right knee, left middle finger, lower back, and left knee disabilities. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee and hip disabilities, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are at least as likely as not related to his active-duty service.

The Veteran's appeals for initial compensable ratings for left and right knee surgical scars, as well as his claims for higher ratings for various knee and hip disabilities, have been dismissed. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's low back, left knee, and headaches disabilities are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's dermatitis disability is also granted as service-connected.

The Board has remanded the claims for right knee, back, neck, and right shoulder disabilities due to inadequate VA opinions and failure to obtain relevant medical records.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, neck disorder, lumbar spine disorder, left knee disorder, and right hand disorder due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service. The Veteran's participation in willful misconduct during service is considered a bar to establishing service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including adjustment disorder, prostate cancer residuals, degenerative joint disease, sinusitis, right foot sprain residuals, left knee strain, tinnitus, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted the TDIU due to these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed bilateral knee disabilities, as the VA opinions provided were inadequate.

The Board has found that the VA examinations provided were inadequate for rating purposes and did not substantially comply with the August 2023 remand instructions. The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling for limitation of flexion, but no rating is assigned for limitation of extension. The Board finds that an addendum opinion is necessary to address the ameliorative effects of medication on the Veteran's symptoms.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ADHD, lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, tinnitus, right knee osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis, scar, and left ear hearing loss, collectively precluded him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment. The Board granted a TDIU based on the combined effects of these disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an increased initial rating for her service-connected right knee condition is being remanded due to a procedural error in the VA examination conducted in June 2014. The Board will need to schedule the Veteran for another examination to determine the current severity of her disability.

The Board has granted service connection for GERD, Hernia, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Cervical Spine Disability, Left Upper Extremity Radiculopathy (secondary to cervical spine disability), Right Upper Extremity Radiculopathy (secondary to cervical spine disability), Thoracolumbar Spine Disability, Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy (secondary to thoracolumbar spine disability), Right Lower Extremity Radiculopathy (secondary to thoracolumbar spine disability), and Left Knee Disability (secondary to bilateral foot disabilities, pes planus) and Right Knee Disability (secondary to bilateral foot disabilities, pes planus).

The Board has restored the Veteran's right knee instability rating from noncompensable to 10 percent effective November 1, 2020, finding that the reduction was improper due to lack of evidence of improvement in the condition.