Knee Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities as well as his TDIU claim due to insufficient examination reports and incomplete development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of a left knee disability, right knee disability, and allergic rhinitis are being remanded due to the addition of new evidence. The lumbar spine disability claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD is granted. The claim for right knee tricompartmental osteoarthritis is denied. The claim for tinnitus (secondary to service-connected disability) is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for status post right knee arthroscopy with residual osteoarthritis, acquired psychiatric disorder (adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood), and bilateral hearing loss have been granted. The claim for service connection for hepatitis C has been remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment on an extra-schedular basis prior to November 5, 2018.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations for his musculoskeletal disabilities and hearing loss. The claims are also inextricably intertwined with the issue of service connection for left ear hearing loss.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for right hip disability and bilateral knee retropatellar pain syndrome due to the need for additional development, including updated VA examinations.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including limitation of flexion and instability, has been rated at 10 percent since January 26, 2011. The appeal for a higher rating is denied.,A separate 10 percent rating for left knee instability is granted, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board has remanded the claims for an initial compensable rating for a left palm scar and service connection for a left knee disorder due to additional relevant evidence being associated with the file after the April 2018 Statement of the Case.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to lack of prior formal or informal claims filed before December 17, 2015.

The Board has decided to remand the claim for a VA examination due to the Veteran's absence from the scheduled examination. The goal is to determine if the Veteran has any objective signs of an unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness, including joint pain affecting his knees, elbows, left hip, and neck.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to incomplete compliance with previous remand directives. The Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms are considered, as well as his medical records from active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee patellofemoral disorder with arthritis claim requires additional development due to failure to appear for a VA examination. The case is being remanded to schedule another examination.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating for individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to July 21, 2021 was denied as he did not meet the schedular requirements and there is no evidence that his service-connected disabilities precluded him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left foot disability and right knee disability secondary to her service-connected right foot disability due to insufficient examination findings.

The Veteran's right knee, ankle, and elbow disabilities have been granted initial ratings of 10 percent each. However, the claim for service connection for a left shoulder condition has been denied.

The Veteran's right knee instability and semilunar cartilage condition are granted separate evaluations of 20% each, effective from October 23, 2013.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's joint pain, which includes his back, shoulders, knees, and hips. The Veteran contends that his joint pain is related to service, particularly his physically demanding MOS as a tacfire operations specialist.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 7, 2022.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee and left knee disabilities, as well as his right hip disabilities, are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The new examinations must comply with the requirements of Correia v. McDonald (2016) and Sharp v. Shulkin (2017).