Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, leading to the grant of TDIU from September 6, 2016.

The Veteran's left knee strain, erectile dysfunction, and lumbosacral strain have been granted service connection.,A disability rating of 40 percent for the Veteran's lumbosacral strain has been assigned.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding secondary service connection and the onset of his psychiatric disorders. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection of right and left hip and knee disabilities. The appeals are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and right hip disabilities due to insufficient examination findings regarding pre-service conditions and potential aggravation by service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disorder (allergic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis), headache disability, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, bilateral shoulder disability, and bilateral knee disability are all granted as service-connected due to exposure to burn pits during his deployment in Southwest Asia. Effective dates will be determined based on the date of receipt of claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of her service-connected conditions.

The Board has denied service connection for sinus disability, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and right ear hearing loss. The Veteran's left eye swelling (scar from cyst) is remanded due to the need for an examination.,Service connection for residuals of a right chest cyst surgery is also remanded as there was no clarification on whether it occurred on the left or right chest during service.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee disability, including arthritis. The issues of TDIU and DEA eligibility prior to September 18, 2013 are remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the grant of service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The Board finds that her current diagnosis of sleep apnea is related to her service-connected PTSD.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for fibromyalgia has been remanded as there is insufficient medical opinion regarding its onset in service or relation to service exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis in both knees, and the Veteran's current disabilities are rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Veteran's appeals for various conditions have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including chronic motor or vocal tic disorder, traumatic brain injury, left knee disorder, fibromyalgia, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, have been denied. The Board found no current diagnoses of these conditions in the record, and there is insufficient evidence to support a relationship between any diagnosed condition and service.

The Board has remanded the claims due to insufficient analysis regarding private treatment records and requests for a VA examination that reconciles these findings with the Veteran's VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete development of evidence, including missing medical records and lack of examination opinions.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate attempts to schedule VA examinations and insufficient evidence regarding Gulf War exposure. The Veteran's symptoms are related to his military service, but further examination is needed to determine if they are linked to toxic exposure.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining VA treatment records and issuing a Statement of the Case (SOC).

The Veteran's left knee disorder is granted service connection as it began during service and has continued since then.,Service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, back, and neck disorders are denied as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for service-connected psychiatric (anxiety disorder) and left knee disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral knee instability is rated under Diagnostic Code 5257, which provides ratings for other impairment of the knee based on recurrent subluxation or instability. The Board found that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating in excess of 10 percent.,The Veteran contends he has had to use a knee brace and fall due to bilateral knee instability. VA examinations have noted objective evidence of slight instability, but no reports of instability.