Knee Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a gastrointestinal disorder and left knee disability due to incomplete examinations. The AOJ must schedule new examinations and readjudicate the cases.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee condition and a low back condition, finding that there is no current disability within the meaning of VA compensation purposes.

The Veteran's right hip osteoarthritis is not rated higher than 10% based on limitation of flexion, and the left knee strain is not rated higher than 10%. The hypertension remains at a noncompensable rating.,The Board has remanded the case for further review due to new evidence received after the initial decision.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for anxiety, depression, anger, and both left and right knee arthroscopy has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his appeal by his representative.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for a left sciatic nerve condition is denied due to lack of evidence of current disability and no medical nexus found.,Service connection for headaches is remanded due to insufficient opinion regarding causation or aggravation by medication.,Service connection for allergy conditions is remanded due to insufficient opinion regarding onset in service or relation to service.,Service connection for a left knee condition is remanded due to insufficient opinion regarding proximate cause and/or aggravation by service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's tinnitus has been granted service connection, as it is presumed to be related to military noise exposure during service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and chronic fatigue syndrome is denied due to lack of evidence showing these conditions were present or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of left knee osteoarthritis has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The appeal of the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU) is dismissed as it was not validly opted-in to the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) system and remains pending in the Legacy system.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection due to incomplete evidence, including VA treatment records not being associated with his file. The AOJ is instructed to obtain these records and provide a new VA opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral knee condition and left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as gastrointestinal tract disability (to include hemorrhoids and/or fissures).,Service connection is also granted for lumbosacral strain and initial evaluation of left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for degenerative joint disease of the left knee and degenerative changes of the left ankle have been denied. The current ratings are considered appropriate based on the evidence provided.

The Veteran's appeals for increased initial ratings and effective dates for right knee osteochondroma, right knee instability, and impairment of the right tibia are dismissed as they were previously adjudicated by the Board in a June 2023 decision.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals regarding service connection for traumatic brain injury, cervical spine injury, thoracic spine injury (claimed as low back injury), headaches, right knee pain, and right hip condition due to their docketing under the AMA system. The claims continue to reside in the legacy system.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for right knee disability due to incomplete records and a failure to obtain private urgent care treatment records related to his condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee condition is etiologically related to service and grants entitlement to service connection for a right knee condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and right shoulder disabilities due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's appeals for higher ratings for his right knee instability, strain, and scar have been dismissed.,The Veteran's appeal for service connection for OSA has been readjudicated due to new evidence received.

The Veteran's asthma is related to exposure to burn pits while serving in Saudi Arabia. The Board granted service connection for this condition, finding it meets the criteria for presumptive service connection under the PACT Act.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was noted at entry to service and is considered a pre-existing disability. The presumption of aggravation attaches, and the Board finds that there is not clear and unmistakable evidence that the condition did not worsen during service.,Service connection for right ankle disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability are granted as secondary to the now-service-connected pes planus.