Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the cases for issuance of a Statement of the Case (SOC) as the Veteran's appeal was improperly docketed under the AMA system. The issues are now in an appellate posture where the Veteran is awaiting issuance of the SOC and filing of a substantive appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete VA examinations and lack of consideration of his lay statements regarding continuity of symptoms.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The left knee disability was found to not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent, while the respiratory disability claim was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current left knee disability is related to service, including his bootcamp activities and motor man duties. Additional development is needed.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for headaches, but the Veteran's service connection claims for other conditions are remanded due to inadequate VA medical opinions and failure to consider the ameliorative effects of medication.

The Board has determined that the January 2019 VA examinations are inadequate and remanded for further clarification of the Veteran's current disabilities. The claims for service connection for right shoulder disability, left knee disability, right ankle disability, dermatophytosis of the right foot, and headache condition are all remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for disabilities of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that his current service-connected conditions (postoperative instability with limitation of motion, right knee; degenerative arthritis, left knee; restless leg syndrome with radiculopathy, right and left lower extremities) are the only disabilities of the bilateral lower extremities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his service-connected left knee disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that there was no increase in severity within one year prior to December 11, 2018.,The evidence did not support an earlier effective date based on a worsening of the Veteran's conditions during the period on appeal.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for referral to the VA Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular evaluation due to his service-connected bilateral knee disorder and PTSD.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities have been rated based on limitation of flexion, with separate ratings for lateral and patellar instability.,For the period from October 24, 2017 to February 6, 2021, the Veteran was granted a 10 percent rating for lateral instability in both knees. For the period from February 7, 2021 onwards, he received a 20 percent rating for patellar instability in both knees.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including back disability, left ankle disability, left arm disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability as secondary to his right ankle disability. The decision found that there was no evidence of a service-connected disability or an in-service aggravation of pre-existing conditions.

The appeal with respect to the issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome is dismissed.,Entitlement to service connection for a lung disability is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for chronic open angle glaucoma and nuclear sclerotic cataracts is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral elbow disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral wrist disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral hip disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a spine disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disability (claimed as skeletal arthritis) is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus type II is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for hypertension due to service or service-connected disease or injury is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for a heart disability due to service or service-connected disease or injury is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction due to service or service-connected disease or injury is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy due to service or service-connected disease or injury is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy due to service or service-connected disease or injury is denied.,Entitlement to service connection for RBD is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a right arm condition and left knee condition due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran's reports of symptoms will be accepted, but further examination is needed.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for left knee osteoarthritis was denied, but he received a TDIU effective from November 11, 2020.

The Board has found that the RO substantially complied with the January 2023 Board remand directives. The Veteran's claims for bilateral knee disabilities, low back disability, and left ankle disability are being remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted with a 10% rating. The right foot hallux valgus and left knee Osgood Schlatter's disease cases are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for increased evaluation of right knee chondromalacia patella with degenerative arthritis was granted, effective May 15, 2018.

The Board has determined that the VA Regional Office did not substantially comply with its development orders and thus, these claims must be remanded again for additional development.

The Veteran is unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, including knee and back conditions.

The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board has decided to remand this case for a new VA examination to assess the severity of her condition.