Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate development of evidence, including obtaining a new retrospective opinion regarding the severity of the Veteran's right knee disability throughout the entire appeal period and updating treatment records.

The Veteran's right eye and hypertension disability claims have been dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability has been granted service connection, but his hypertension rating remains at 10 percent.,Service connection for OSA is granted based on evidence in relative equipoise regarding its onset during service.,Left knee and right shoulder disabilities are remanded for further examination and opinion.,An initial compensable rating for insomnia is also remanded.,The Veteran's right shoulder disability may be secondary to his left shoulder or cervical spine disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeals regarding service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, and thoracic outlet syndrome should be remanded due to an error in the review system.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chest pain was dismissed. The claim for reopening of his left knee disability was granted, and he is now entitled to a left knee disability rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been remanded due to the need for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling examinations. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection or increased ratings for various conditions.

The Veteran's left knee disability is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining retrospective medical opinions to assess the severity of his condition prior to June 14, 2022.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, including DJD with torn medial meniscus and left hamate fracture residuals, were granted increased ratings. Separate ratings were assigned for the left knee DJD, torn medial meniscus, instability, and peripheral neuropathy/CTS. The right knee DJD was also granted an increased rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for his service-connected right knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess whether the Veteran experiences symptoms representing functional equivalent of ankylosis during flare-ups.

The Veteran's GAD claim is remanded as the examiner did not consider all symptoms, including those related to flare-ups and cognitive impairment.,The respiratory condition claim is remanded due to inadequate medical opinions that did not consider the Veteran's service records or his theory of secondary service connection based on CML.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation from August 25, 2015 to January 16, 2018. The Board granted a TDIU during this period.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's failure to attend a VA examination for his right knee disability. The examiner will be asked to provide current findings regarding all symptoms associated with the service-connected right knee disability and opine on its severity, including during flare-ups.

The Board denied service connection for right and left knee conditions as there is no evidence of current disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities, as well as his claims for service connection for left and right leg disabilities other than shin splints. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions began during service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's right knee disability, maxillary sinusitis, and rhinitis. The issues include increased ratings for these conditions, service connection for rhinitis as secondary to sinusitis, and a TDIU claim. Additional development is needed to obtain relevant medical records and provide an opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's symptoms.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence in the examination report for the left knee disability. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the rating issue.

The claims for service connection of lumbar spine, throat, left foot, right foot, left foot toes numbness, and right foot toes numbness conditions are all granted.,The claims for service connection of left knee and right knee conditions are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and incomplete analysis. The claims will be reconsidered with consideration of all evidence, including lay statements.

The Veteran's temporary total evaluation for left knee convalescence from June 1, 2019, to August 1, 2019, is granted. The claim for increased ratings and evaluations related to the left knee condition remains pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right leg and right knee disabilities, finding no current diagnoses or causal relationship to in-service events.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and a right knee disability, finding that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether these conditions had their onset during active service.