Knee Board decisions

The Board has determined that the severance of service connection for a bilateral knee disability was improper and has restored the original rating.

The Board has remanded four issues related to service connection and rating for the Veteran's heart palpitations, left knee condition, osteoarthritis of the right first MTP joint, and osteoarthritis of the left first MTP joint due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's left knee disabilities are remanded for further evaluation due to inadequate examination and the need for more current findings.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to determine if the Veteran's right knee and bilateral shoulder disorders are related to herbicide agent exposure or military duties during service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal, leaving no issues for further consideration.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including osteoarthritis and instability, is rated at 50 percent since January 22, 2023. The appeal for a higher rating was denied.

The Veteran's cervical spine, shoulder, hip, knee, and radicular conditions are related to her in-service injury. The Board finds the VA examiners' opinions inadequate as they did not consider the relevant STRs or lay evidence of record.,The Veteran contends that her current musculoskeletal pain and symptoms began in service and are also related to her service-connected lumbar spine condition.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee bursitis status post mycobacterium infection. The other issues of service connection are remanded.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection of a right knee disability was granted. Service connection for left knee osteoarthritis secondary to left knee baker's cyst is also granted. However, the Veteran's request for an increased rating for his left knee baker's cyst remains denied.

The Veteran's stomach disorder, including gastritis and pancreatitis, is not service-connected. However, his right knee disability is found to be related to service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left knee, left hip, right hip, hernia, bilateral hearing loss, and psychiatric disability (PTSD) have been granted.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for right and left knee degenerative joint disease, finding that the September 2015 rating decision became final due to lack of timely appeal.,The Board also remanded the claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for the service-connected left and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for left and right knee disabilities were denied, with the denial of the eczema claim being remanded.,An effective date of April 5, 2018, was granted for the service connection of eczema.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and service connection for right and left knee disabilities are remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic lumbar spine disability, chronic cervical spine disability, chronic right knee disability, and IBS (presumptively related to Southwest Asia service). The claims are based on the presumption of exposure in the Gulf War setting.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss. The Veteran's current left ear hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to his military noise exposure.,All other claims, including those for back disability, left ear hearing loss, depression (secondary to service-connected disabilities), left hand and right hand disabilities, sleep apnea (undiagnosed illness and/or medically unexplained chronic multi symptom illness due to exposure to environmental hazards during the Persian Gulf War) and secondary to service-connected disabilities, right hip disability, left hip disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability, are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, left knee, and left shoulder disabilities, as well as bilateral hip replacement. The Veteran's right upper extremity and lower extremity radiculopathies are also found to be related to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran withdrew all his appeals, including those for PTSD, headaches, and a left knee strain, as well as the initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for dental, bilateral hearing loss, low back, right knee, and left knee disabilities have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or that any are related to service.,There is no evidence of a current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes during the appeal period. The Veteran has not provided sufficient evidence to establish a current disability.,The Board finds no evidence of a current low back, right knee, or left knee disability in the record and concludes that these claims are denied as there is insufficient evidence to support their existence.,,

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's cervical spine/neck disability, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy (including as secondary to the now service-connected cervical spine disability), headaches disability (including as secondary to the now service-connected cervical spine disability), left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left ankle disability, and left knee disability.