Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for DJD of the right and left knees due to insufficient evidence regarding whether these conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected pes planus.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period from January 5, 2007, to February 28, 2007, is dismissed as moot due to the assignment of a combined 100 percent evaluation and SMC at the rate under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral total knee replacements and PTSD, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that the criteria for a TDIU have been met.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development regarding service connection claims. No specific rating or effective date was assigned.

The Board denied the reopening of claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and right foot disorders due to lack of new and material evidence relating these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to issues with previous examinations and because of the inextricably intertwined nature of the left knee disability claims and TDIU claim. The Veteran's service-connected left knee disabilities are being examined again, and his entitlement to TDIU is being referred to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration.

The Veteran withdrew all his claims before the Board could make a decision, so the appeals are dismissed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including back disability, right knee and left knee disabilities, left hip disability, rhinitis, sinus headaches, loss of sense of smell, and loss of sense of taste. The remand requires obtaining private treatment records from Drs. L. and B., scheduling VA examinations to assess the Veteran's claimed conditions, and providing medical opinions on the relationship between service, including exposure to herbicide agents, and the Veteran's disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disability necessitated the use of left and right knee braces, which caused damage to her clothing. The Board granted a clothing allowance for this period.

The Veteran's left total knee arthroplasty is rated at 60 percent from February 1, 2021, to October 25, 2022. The rating in excess of 60 percent for the period on appeal prior to December 2, 2019, and for instability, flexion limitation, and extension limitation are denied.

The Veteran's right knee and left knee chondromalacia were not found to meet the criteria for a rating greater than 10 percent.,The Veteran's right shoulder disorder with post-operative residuals was not found to meet the criteria for a rating greater than 20 percent.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of his claims for separate compensable ratings for his service-connected knee condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, particularly his left knee and psychiatric conditions, caused or aggravated his obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to inadequate examination in a previous decision. The case is sent back for a new VA examination.

The Veteran's chronic kidney disease did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating prior to January 28, 2019. From January 28, 2019, it was rated greater than 60 percent.,For his right total knee replacement, the Veteran's disability remained at 10 percent prior to November 11, 2021 and was remanded for a higher rating from May 1, 2022.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a skin condition including skin cancer, and a right knee disability. The Veteran's claim of service connection for benign neoplasms of the gynecological system or breast (claimed as lipomas over body) is also remanded.,Service connection was not granted for heart disease due to an insufficient medical opinion addressing the Veteran's Reserve periods.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for low back disability and bilateral knee disabilities (prior to September 2022) due to incomplete records and need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the cases for AOJ review of additional VA-generated evidence, and will not make a determination on the merits until further action is taken.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, finding no nexus to service or to his service-connected back disability. The decision also found that obesity did not cause his knee condition.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ratings for various knee conditions and other musculoskeletal disorders. The Veteran is required to provide additional medical records from private providers that have been scanned into VISTA imaging system.