Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for a separate disability rating of 30 percent for left knee instability is granted. However, the Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected residual fracture left tibia and fibula with arthritis is remanded due to inadequate medical examination.

The Board has granted service connection for vertigo, but the claims for other conditions are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions and missing records.

The Board has granted service connection for back, left knee, and left ankle disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee tendinitis.

The Veteran's tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disorder, left parotidectomy residuals, head scar, OSA, back disorder, right knee disorder, and right ankle disorder have been granted service connection. The Veteran's TBI, jaw disorder, hearing loss, IBS, right elbow disorder, and left ankle disorder have not been granted service connection.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for stasis dermatitis and service connection for left knee chondromalacia with degenerative joint disease have been denied. The appeal on the claim of entitlement to a separate rating for cellulitis secondary to venous disease is dismissed, as is the appeal on the claim of entitlement to TDIU for periods prior to September 27, 1999, and from August 27, 2001.

The Veteran's left knee condition is rated at 30% effective February 10, 2014.,The Veteran's right knee condition is rated at 30% effective November 18, 1994. The Veteran also received a separate 20% rating for instability of the right knee and a 20% rating for meniscal tear of the left knee.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of right knee and right hip disabilities, both claimed as secondary to a service-connected right ankle disability due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability. The issues of entitlement to earlier effective dates and initial ratings for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and heart disability are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities and left knee scar. Specifically, it is requested that VA obtain any outstanding records of non-VA treatment from Dr. Richard Weiner and conduct new examinations for the Veteran's knee disabilities and left knee scar.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and an earlier effective date for his service-connected cervical spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities are being remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, tinnitus, and left ear hearing loss have been granted. The claims for back issues, hair loss (alopecia), left knee disability, and teeth loss are denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The initial disability rating of 10 percent was maintained for the lumbosacral strain, and a higher rating of 20 percent was granted from January 30, 2024 onwards.

The Board has remanded the claims for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, valvular heart disease, hypertension, left wrist condition, right wrist condition, left ankle condition, right ankle condition, right elbow condition, left elbow condition, neck condition, right arm condition, left arm condition, sleep apnea, left knee condition, right knee condition, back condition, bowel condition, headaches, and bilateral flatfoot for further adjudication due to a failure to provide notice of the right to a hearing as provided by 38 C.F.R. �� 3.103(b)(1) and (d)(1).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right and left knee conditions, as well as her claim that a left knee condition is secondary to a right knee condition. The reasons include outstanding service treatment records not being considered at the time of the January 2025 AOJ decision on appeal, and the need for new medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed right knee condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of his right knee disability, finding that there was no evidence linking the condition to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of July 14, 2005 for SMC based on housebound status is granted. The decision finds that the Veteran has a single disability rated as total (left knee disability via extraschedular TDIU from February 25, 2005) and separate service-connected disabilities ratable at a combined 60 percent disabling (acquired psychiatric disorder at 70 percent from July 14, 2005), as required by the law.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and granted increased ratings of 30 percent for the right knee disability and 40 percent for the back disability.

The Board has granted effective dates of January 7, 2016 for the awards of service connection for various conditions including diabetes mellitus and its manifestations, kidney failure, bilateral lower extremity amputations, and CHF.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to April 6, 2022. Therefore, the claim for TDIU prior to that date is denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for bilateral flat feet, left knee arthritis, lower back pain, and right knee arthritis. The appeal regarding whether new and relevant evidence was submitted to readjudicate the claim for sleep apnea is also dismissed.