Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left hip, right knee, and left knee disorders due to deficiencies in medical opinions and a need for additional VA examinations.

The Board has dismissed the claim of service connection for bilateral flatfoot as it was filed after a prior appeal on the same issue. The claims for lower back, left knee, and right knee disabilities are remanded.

The Board has found pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors in the Veteran's case and requires VA examinations to be conducted. The claims for an increased disability rating for his service-connected right knee disability and TDIU are both REMANDED.

The Board has decided to remand all issues on appeal due to the need for additional VA treatment records. The Veteran's claims for service connection are being returned for further review.

The appeal to reduce the disability rating for the Veteran's right knee disability from 30 percent to 10 percent is dismissed because the reduction was not yet effective at the time of the Veteran's Notice of Disagreement.

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at 30 percent, and the Board found that a higher rating was not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The right knee disability and acquired psychiatric disorder claims are being reviewed again, with requests for additional medical records and an examination.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the issues concerning increased ratings for his lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities. The appeals are therefore dismissed.

The Board has remanded the claims for increase ratings for right knee limitation of extension and flexion due to a duty to assist error. A VA examination is required to assess functional loss in terms of range of motion during flare-ups and repetitive use.

The Board has remanded the evaluations for left and right shoulder osteoarthritis, as well as the evaluation of left knee osteoarthritis. The effective dates remain pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that there was no in-service injury or event with respect to the left knee and that the current disability is not shown to be causally related to a disease or injury incurred during active service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not compensable, as the VA examination revealed no worse than Level IX in the right ear and Level I in the left ear.,There is no confirmed diagnosis of a gallbladder disability. The Veteran's current knee conditions are related to service due to trauma from crawling on his knees.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of July 18, 2013, for the grant of entitlement to a TDIU is granted. The Board found that the Veteran was unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities since at least July 2014.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability, which was pre-existing and noted in service treatment records, was aggravated by his active-duty service. As a result, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee tendinitis, finding that the evidence did not support a link between his current condition and active service.

The Veteran's left knee and right shoulder disabilities are granted service connection, while his sleep apnea is denied. The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is granted with an effective date of August 16, 2020.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hip osteoarthritis and knee conditions have been granted. The claims for service connection for the Veteran's bilateral knee conditions are being remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it began in service and has been continuous since then.,Service connection for GERD is remanded due to insufficient evidence addressing the relationship between the condition and service-connected right ankle sprain.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings in excess of the current 10 percent ratings for bilateral hearing loss, right foot degeneration with arthritic changes, left knee degeneration with limitation of flexion, right knee degeneration with limitation of flexion, left knee degeneration with limitation of extension, right knee osteoarthritis with limitation of extension, and right knee meniscal tear have all been denied. The Veteran's hearing loss is rated at 0 percent due to the exceptional pattern in his right ear. His foot and knee disabilities are currently rated as 10 percent each.