Knee Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date of TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, finding that he was not unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to May 25, 2017.

The Veteran's cervical spine and left knee disabilities were granted service connection as they had their onset in active service.,Service connection for a headache disability, linked to the cervical spine disability, was also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability did not begin during his active-duty service and is not otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease. As such, the claim for service connection for a right knee disability is denied.

The Board has dismissed all service connection appeals due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee ACL and meniscus damage, as well as sleep apnea, both of which are found to be related to the Veteran's active military service.

The Board has granted an initial rating of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain and service connection for arthritis of the right knee, effective February 22, 2018. The appeal regarding these issues is now resolved in favor of the appellant.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus, type II are granted due to presumed exposure during service in Thailand. The claims for Alzheimer's disease and dementia, right knee ACL tear and meniscus degenerative changes, depression, lumbar spine degenerative changes with lordosis, and right shoulder acromioclavicular joint impingement with mild tendinopathy are denied.,The Veteran was granted presumptive service connection for coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus, type II under the PACT Act. The claims for Alzheimer's disease and dementia, right knee ACL tear and meniscus degenerative changes, depression, lumbar spine degenerative changes with lordosis, and right shoulder acromioclavicular joint impingement with mild tendinopathy remain denied.

The Board has found new and relevant evidence for readjudicating the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's claim is remanded due to incomplete service records and a need for VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for his left and right knee disabilities are being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors regarding treatment records and a medical opinion on Allopurinol's effects.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, right and left knee disorders, lumbar spine disorder, asthma, and fibromyalgia, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. His TDIU claim is granted.

The Board has denied service connection for left knee, right knee, and dental disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing that these conditions began during or are otherwise related to active service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no new and relevant evidence presented to support the original denials. The Board found that none of the conditions claimed are related to his active service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and right and left knee conditions, but denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his bilateral knee disabilities have been partially granted. The 20 percent ratings for right and left knee meniscal tears and degenerative arthritis are restored, but the Veteran's requests for higher evaluations remain denied.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's migraines, low back disability, left knee disability, and bilateral ankle disabilities are related to service exposure to burn pits. The PACT Act requires this examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, left knee condition, right leg condition, and various radiculopathy conditions due to a failure of the duty to assist in providing adequate VA examinations.,The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no objective medical evidence demonstrating hearing loss.

The Board has restored the disability ratings for right knee recurrent subluxation, left knee recurrent subluxation, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome (s/p arthroscopy) to their previous levels from December 1, 2019.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability was reopened due to new and material evidence. His left knee instability is rated at 10%. The claims for increased ratings of the right wrist and initial rating for right wrist tenosynovitis with DJD are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete employment information provided by the Veteran. The Veteran is asked to provide his employment history for the last three jobs and complete a VA Form 21-4192 for each of those employers.