Knee Board decisions

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection of left shoulder, elbow, thigh/groin, knee, and ankle disabilities due to lack of current disability. The back and pulmonary disorder claims are remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a lack of current diagnoses and insufficient evidence linking his claimed conditions to his active-duty service.,Additional development is required to determine if the Veteran currently suffers from any of these conditions, as well as whether they are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial rating periods for right knee limitation of extension, right knee limitation of flexion, and right ankle disability have been denied. The RO has assigned noncompensable (0%) ratings for the right knee limitation of flexion since November 13, 2021, and reduced the right knee rating to 20% from December 1, 2015. The right ankle disability is rated at 20%, effective November 26, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and to obtain updated VA treatment records. The claims for higher ratings for various service-connected disabilities are currently pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus and a right knee disability due to insufficient medical opinions addressing various theories of entitlement, including direct incurrence, secondary to service-connected conditions, and exposure-based theories. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, and the Board has requested additional medical opinions to address the conflicting evidence of record.

The Board has determined that additional VA examinations are needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected knee disorders, as her recent surgeries may have affected their progression.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disability has been granted initial ratings of 50% for right and left knee strain, but no higher. The issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to his current condition and that the medical evidence did not support a link between his knee problems and military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee disorder, finding that his current conditions are not related to any in-service injury or disease. The claims were based on direct service connection and presumptive service connection due to shin splints during service.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, left-hand disability, right-hand disability, left ankle disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left foot disability, and right foot disability due to incomplete VA treatment records. The Veteran is asked to provide authorization for VA to obtain these records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service treatment records are unavailable and new medical opinions are needed to address his claims for service connection. The case is being remanded for these purposes.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of September 30, 2008, for the award of service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) is granted. The claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and left upper extremity vascular disease are remanded due to lack of evidence supporting their onset during service or otherwise related to service. Other claims remain denied.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for the Veteran's right shoulder, left shoulder, back, right ankle, left ankle, left foot and toes, right foot and toes, right knee, or left knee disabilities.,The evidence does not establish a nexus between any diagnosed condition and active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's neck, lower back, right knee, and left knee disabilities are related to his service-connected left ankle disability. The VA examinations were inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset and continuity of symptomatology.

The Veteran's left knee disability is found to be related to active service, and the claim for service connection for this condition is granted. The issues of secondary service connection for other conditions are remanded.

The Board has found that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims related to his thoracolumbar spine strain with degenerative arthritis, left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, right lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve, shingles with post-herpetic neuralgia, and bilateral knee disability. The Board has remanded these claims for further development.

The Veteran's IBS and associated fecal incontinence are rated at 30 percent, effective June 1, 2008. A separate 30 percent rating is granted for anal fissures from the same date. The Veteran is granted a TDIU from June 1, 2008 to September 11, 2018.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for hypertension and left wrist disability. Service connection is granted for lumbar spine, cervical spine, bilateral shoulder, and right knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right knee retropatellar pain syndrome and right knee instability due to inadequate examination findings and inability to work.