Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's request for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound criteria prior to March 18, 2016, or from August 1, 2016, is denied as he did not meet the schedular rating criteria for SMC housebound due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's right knee disability is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for a lumbar spine disability is denied.,The Veteran's right ankle and headache disabilities are remanded for further development.,The Veteran's allergic rhinitis disability is remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for low back, right hip/thigh, and right knee disabilities due to chronic residuals of multiple orthopedic injuries sustained during military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability and fracture of the body due to insufficient evidence and need for further medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left knee condition, including degenerative joint disease. The Veteran is requested to provide a new addendum medical opinion that considers his MOS and any lay statements or medical evidence of record.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, fibromyalgia, left knee arthritis, right knee arthritis, left wrist arthritis, and right wrist arthritis due to inadequate VA examinations and a failure to consider the Veteran's service in the Persian Gulf. The claims will be reconsidered with consideration of the PACT Act.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral dry eye syndrome was granted, while the claims for increased ratings for chronic back strain, right knee retropatellar pain syndrome, and right eye pterygium were remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's left hip disability characterized by pain, including sclerotic changes, is granted as secondary to her service-connected right knee and thoracolumbar spine disabilities. The restoration of a 10 percent rating for the status post reconstruction ACL deficient right knee is also granted.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further rating and service connection determinations.,No effective date earlier than November 20, 2019, was granted for the grant of service connection for right knee strain.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment, leading to a finding of entitlement to TDIU for the entire period on appeal.

The appeal of service connection for diabetes mellitus is dismissed. The appeals of service connection for a left knee disability and OSA are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee osteoarthritis and right knee degenerative joint disease were denied. The effective date for the awards was not established.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for left knee osteoarthritis with flexion impairment is granted, effective January 6, 2015.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a separate noncompensable rating for limitation of extension secondary to service-connected left knee osteoarthritis is denied.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for ratings in excess of 10 percent for right knee arthritis and left knee arthritis with a meniscal tear, as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to the decision being made.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee strain and osteoarthritis, finding that there was no evidence of a relationship between his current disabilities and service.

The Veteran's left and right knee disabilities are currently rated at 10 percent each, as they do not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on limitation of motion.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's initial rating for a right knee disability is denied, as her range of motion does not meet the criteria for an increased rating.,The effective date for service connection of the right knee disability is denied because no prior communication indicating intent to file a claim was received by VA before October 8, 2017.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for paraspinous muscle strain and service connection for left knee arthritis are being remanded due to the need for additional development of evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including depression, anxiety and PTSD, was denied. Service connection was granted for lumbar spine arthritis, cervical spine arthritis, right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy (secondary to cervical spine arthritis), right knee osteoarthritis, and left knee osteoarthritis and patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude her from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, thus the claim for TDIU was denied.