Knee Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ankle fracture distal tibia and remanded his claims for initial compensable ratings for nephrolithiasis/kidney stones, degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine, bicipital tendon tear, right, and right knee osteoarthritis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the issues of mental health disorder (including PTSD and depressive disorder), hypertension, diabetes mellitus, kidney stone condition, right knee disability, left knee disability, osteoarthritis of the cervical spine associated with ankylosing spondylitis, and left hip condition are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral foot, left knee, and right knee disabilities are now considered service-connected. The sleep apnea was also granted.,Service connection for the bilateral feet is established based on continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to a failure to obtain records from the Social Security Administration (SSA). The Veteran's correct SSA number was not used in the initial request, and the AOJ is instructed to make another request using the correct number.

The Veteran's left knee condition is granted a disability rating of 20 percent for limitation of flexion, effective October 21, 2016. The appeal regarding the left ankle condition was denied as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis, right knee disability, left knee disability, right shoulder disability, right wrist disability, and right hand disability. Service connection was denied for the right elbow disability.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability, right knee strain, left leg radiculopathy, and right leg radiculopathy based on the theory of continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities due to conflicting medical findings. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it was expressly raised by the Veteran in connection with his knee disability claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and granted for left ear hearing loss, acquired psychiatric disability (variously diagnosed to include chronic adjustment disorder and unspecified depressive disorder), left foot disability, and bilateral knee disability.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development, including providing the Veteran with VA examinations to evaluate his right knee disability and bilateral eye issues.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder, finding that his left knee disability was not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability and is more likely due to natural progression of degenerative joint disease.

The Veteran's back and right knee braces, used to treat service-connected disabilities, tended to wear out or tear his clothing. The Veteran was granted annual clothing allowances for the 2011 calendar year for a back brace and a right knee brace. Shoe insoles were not granted as they did not cause damage to his clothing.

The Veteran's right knee was granted a 30% evaluation for instability from December 22, 2008 to February 16, 2021. A 10% evaluation was also granted for limited extension during the same period.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee conditions, as well as his increased ratings for tarsal tunnel syndrome of the right foot and digital nerve laceration of the right index finger are denied.,A compensable rating is also denied for a deltoid ligament sprain of the right ankle.

The Veteran's knee disabilities have been granted increased ratings, but no higher. The effective dates for these grants vary based on the specific issue and date of service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee osteoarthritis, lumbar degenerative arthritis and disc disease, and the related bilateral sciatic radiculopathy as these conditions are found to be aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right knee arthritis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began in service and have continued since then. The claims are based on presumptive service connection due to chronicity of disease.

The Veteran's service connection claims for pelvic pain, left knee disability, and right knee disability are denied. The Board has remanded the cases for further development.

The Veteran's initial and increased ratings for right knee scars, right knee disability (including flexion, extension, abduction, adduction), and right hip disability have been granted. The maximum schedular rating of 60 percent has been assigned for the right knee disability post total knee replacement (TKR). A separate compensable rating for shortening of the right lower extremity due to TKR is denied. An increased rating higher than 10 percent for the right hip disability is also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus was denied as his current disability is not proximately due to, or the result of, or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral knee disability was denied as his current disability did not originate in service or within one year of discharge therefrom.