Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral knee conditions as secondary to a service-connected disability due to insufficient evidence addressing direct service connection.

The Board has denied service connection for left shoulder and right shoulder conditions, finding no evidence of current disabilities incurred or aggravated in service. The right knee condition is granted as already established.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for left knee disability was denied, but he was granted a separate rating of 20 percent for his meniscal condition.

The Board has granted service connection for a neck disability and a left knee disability. The appeal regarding initial compensable evaluation for musculoskeletal headaches is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment, leading to a TDIU effective October 22, 2019. The Board finds that the RO should have referred this claim for extraschedular consideration prior to adjudicating the pre-October 22, 2019 period on appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right hip, left hip, right knee, and left knee conditions. Service connection for hypertension is also granted but requires further VA examination to determine its etiology.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of left and right knee degenerative arthritis as secondary to residuals, fracture left big toe due to procedural issues in the modernized appeal system.

The Board has granted service connection for low back degenerative disc disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left hip strain, and left knee degenerative arthritis with left knee strain, all secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left ankle disability.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is remanded due to a duty to assist error, as the VA failed to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding whether there was any failure on the part of VA to timely diagnose and/or properly treat the claimed disease or disability, or whether there was any other failure on VA's part as it pertained to the referral itself.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding that the current tinnitus had onset during service and that there was no acoustic injury occurring during a period of ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA. For secondary service connection, the Veteran's left knee disability was remanded as the VA examiner did not address whether it was aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for left elbow pain, right elbow pain, left knee pain, and right knee pain due to a lack of an initial examination before the December 2019 decision. The Veteran's service connection claim is being remanded as there may be a nexus between his in-service motor vehicle accident and current elbow and knee pain.

The Veteran's service connection claims for lumbar spine, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, urinary incontinence, left knee disability, right knee disability, and erectile dysfunction are granted. The Veteran is also remanded to obtain relevant medical records prior to the AOJ decision on appeal.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for Alzheimer's disease, degenerative disease of the cervical spine, left knee disability, left shoulder disability, and lower back disability. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions began during or are otherwise related to active service.

The Veteran's right and left knee braces were found to cause wear and tear on his clothing, leading to the grant of a clothing allowance for both knees in 2020.

The Board has granted service connection for testicular hypofunction, sciatica, and right knee degenerative joint disease. Service connection was denied for fatigue, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, left shoulder disability, left wrist disability, and right wrist disability.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues related to his service-connected and non-service-connected disabilities, including foot conditions and leg disabilities. The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed in the form of VA examinations for both foot and leg disabilities.

The Veteran's rating for an acquired psychiatric disorder was denied, and service connection for a left knee disorder was also denied. The effective dates for TDIU and DEA were remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a left ankle disability is denied.,The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for depressive disorder is denied.,The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a right knee disability (secondary to service-connected right ankle disability) is remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and right foot disabilities due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee strain as secondary to right foot tendonitis has been granted. The Board found that the Veteran's current right knee strain is related to her in-service right foot tendonitis and left knee injury, which resulted in aggravation of her right knee condition.