Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to a lack of VA medical examination and missing relevant medical records.

The Board denied service connection for left ankle and right knee disabilities, finding that the current conditions were not related to service or within one year of separation.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to insufficient medical evidence. The Veteran's statements about his injuries during basic training are considered, but a new VA examination is needed to determine if his current knee conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, left foot disability, left skin disability, and headaches due to additional development. The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus is not found to be related to his claimed disabilities.

The Board dismissed the appeal of service connection for a bilateral knee disability as the appellant requested to withdraw their appeal prior to any decision being made.

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent for osteoarthritis and granted a 20 percent rating for lateral instability as of September 11, 2017. The claim for TDIU was denied.

The Veteran's right knee strain, left knee strain, and cervical strain have been granted service connection. For the period from February 26, 2013 to August 1, 2019, a rating of 70 percent for PTSD with alcohol use disorder has been granted. The Veteran's hip disabilities (right and left) are rated at 30 percent each since November 15, 2017. The Veteran's right and left hips have limitations in extension and flexion.

The Board denied service connection for asthma, sinus disorder, right shoulder disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and bilateral foot disorder. The decision is mixed as some issues were granted (bilateral foot disorder) while others were remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to deficiencies in the VA examinations and because a decision on one issue could impact another.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as due to presumed in-service herbicide exposure. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's other musculoskeletal conditions are attributable to his conceded in-service exposure to toxic herbicide agents.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection of back, right knee, and left knee conditions due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's lay statements regarding parachute jumps during service.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to increased disability ratings for right and left knee disorders due to insufficient examination findings. The Veteran is required to undergo a new VA examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to a lack of an adequate VA examination in the previous decisions. The case is now back with the Board for development.

The Veteran's initial and increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities are denied as the evidence does not support a higher rating based on painful motion with noncompensable limitation of motion.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives and insufficient rationale for a negative nexus opinion. The Veteran's current bilateral knee disability is related to his in-service injuries, but further development is needed.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a psychiatric examination to determine if any diagnosed conditions are related to service. The claims for low back disability and left knee disability were denied as new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

An effective date of March 26, 2015 was granted for a 10 percent disability rating for asthma.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various knee and shoulder disabilities, as well as a respiratory disability. The claims are being returned to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran is awarded a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective April 10, 2003. The Board finds that the criteria for an earlier effective date of June 10, 2002, but no earlier, have been met.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have begun during service and granted service connection.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as the evidence does not support a finding that it began in or was related to service.