Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's lumbar spondylosis was granted a 20% rating effective April 25, 2016. The right knee osteoarthritis remains at a 30% rating from June 4, 2018 to June 26, 2018.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions regarding her left knee condition, obstructive sleep apnea, and service connection claims.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disorder, finding no evidence of in-service injury or chronic condition and concluding that the current left knee strain is not related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining a VA opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed left and right knee disabilities, scheduling a VA examination to determine the current severity of her service-connected hiatal hernia, and readjudicating the issues on appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left knee strain as new and material evidence was not received, despite additional medical records being submitted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and a higher rating for PTSD with alcohol dependence were denied due to failure to report for VA examinations. The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a 100 percent disability rating.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives regarding service connection for right knee disorder. The issues of bilateral pes planus and right foot bone spur are inextricably intertwined with the right knee disorder issue.

The Veteran's left knee disability is granted as service connected due to continuous symptomatology since separation from service, meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate development and need for a new examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various spinal and joint conditions due to new evidence being added to his case file.

The Board has dismissed all appeals related to the Veteran's claims for compensation and evaluations of various knee and foot conditions, as well as a claim under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to VA medical treatment.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's left knee disability and his active duty service, including as secondary to his now service-connected right knee disability. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to determine these relationships.

The Veteran's service-connected gastrointestinal and bilateral knee disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from February 15, 2013 to September 15, 2016 (excluding November 17, 2015 to February 29, 2016), and from September 16, 2016 to September 20, 2017. The Board granted a TDIU on both an extraschedular and schedular basis for these periods.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 2, 1995, for service connection of a left knee disability. The issues related to evaluations and effective dates for various aspects of the left knee disability are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities are currently rated at 10 percent each, with separate ratings for instability of the knees. The Board denied increased ratings as his knee disabilities do not meet criteria for higher evaluations based on limitation of motion or instability.

The Board has remanded several claims related to the Veteran's service connection, including for cervical spine injury residuals, lumbar spine disability, right and left lower extremity varicose veins, bronchitis, left knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, and a right knee disability. The issues also include reopening of these claims based on new evidence.

The Board denied service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, right elbow, and left elbow disabilities. However, it granted service connection for bilateral pes planus and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for chronic urticaria and left knee degenerative joint disease, as well as his claim for a compensable rating for limitation of extension of the left knee. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also being remanded due to its inextricability with the other claims.

The Veteran's left-hand scar was not rated higher than 10 percent, as it did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent from May 15, 2018.,A 100 percent disability rating was granted for the right knee replacement from May 10, 2021 to May 10, 2022. However, a higher rating greater than 30 percent is denied as of May 11, 2022.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation in excess of 20 percent for residuals of fracture, left proximal tibia with varus deformity and degenerative changes of the knee and ankle was denied as his condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.