Knee Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding when the Veteran became unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation and whether he needs aid and attendance of another person.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding his claimed disabilities and their relationship to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left and right knee disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of a left knee replacement, claiming it was due to shrapnel and arthritis. The Board dismissed the issue as a result.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to incomplete employment and income information provided by the Veteran. The Board requests clarification on his employment history and earnings since June 30, 2010.

The Veteran's arthritis, heart disease, and prostate cancer with surgery are not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.,COPD is also not service-connected as there was no herbicide exposure documented.

The Board has found that the Veteran's service treatment records (STRs) from his initial tour of active duty in the United States Army are incomplete. The claims for headaches, left knee disability, and flatfeet have been remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and the need to obtain STRs.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but further development is needed to address the merits of his claims due to conflicting evidence and lack of definitive medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient analysis of the Veteran's lay statements regarding his left knee symptoms since service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history, warranting a TDIU on an extra-schedular basis.

The Veteran's chronic digestive disorder is considered an undiagnosed illness and presumptively related to his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War. The claims for entitlement to service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, and varicose veins are granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date prior to August 8, 2014, for the award of service connection for right knee strain and right knee scar.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated as 10% for limitation of flexion prior to November 21, 2019 and as non-compensable thereafter. The rating for limitation of extension was denied with a non-compensable rating from November 21, 2019 onwards. Instability of the left knee is rated as 20% from November 21, 2019 onwards.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further development.

The Veteran's appeals for initial ratings in excess of 10 percent each for the service-connected right and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome have been dismissed due to her withdrawal. The effective date for the grant of service connection for right and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome is denied as it predates March 6, 2018.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for updated VA examinations.

The claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied.,New evidence has not been received to reopen the previously denied claims of service connection for arthritis of the left hand, right hand, right knee, low back, nasal fracture, sinus disability, headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and lung disability.

The Veteran's left knee disability was evaluated, and the Board denied increased ratings for both limitation of flexion and recurrent subluxation or instability.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's left knee disability and an opinion on whether his acquired psychiatric disorder is related to service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain the Veteran's private treatment records and to schedule him for a DRO hearing. The claims are being remanded.