Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence in the record. The Veteran's claim is reopened, but further examination and opinion are needed to determine if he has a current disability and whether it is related to his military service.

The Veteran's DDD of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 10 percent prior to March 28, 2022 and 20 percent thereafter. The Veteran's left and right lower extremity radiculopathy are each rated at 10 percent.,The Veteran's left knee patellofemoral syndrome and right knee patellofemoral syndrome are both currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for left knee disability, right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus to obtain additional medical records from various providers.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations conducted in September 2022 were inadequate and did not comply with the remand directives. Therefore, the claims for service connection are being remanded again to obtain new medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left tibia fracture residuals, right knee osteoarthritis, and chronic gastritis were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a grant of service connection for tinnitus.,For the remaining conditions, the Board determined that the current 10 percent ratings adequately reflected the severity of the Veteran's disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hand, knee, and ankle disabilities as well as his psychiatric disorders due to inadequate examination and opinion. Additional examinations are needed to address these issues.

The Veteran's left knee conditions, including arthritis and patellar subluxation, were rated at the maximum allowable under the applicable rating schedule. The Veteran was granted a TDIU based on his combined service-connected disabilities prior to November 8, 2013.

The Board found that the appellant's discharge from service was under other than honorable conditions due to conviction by a general court-martial. The appeal for service connection for PTSD and insanity at the time of offense is denied as there is no evidence of PTSD during service, and the character of discharge bars VA benefits.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings in multiple conditions have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his appeal by the appellant.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal regarding the reduction of disability evaluations for right shoulder and right knee disabilities, effective September 1, 2017.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his right knee degenerative arthritis and instability was denied. He is currently rated 10 percent for both conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and development to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed left shoulder, left knee, right knee (other than chondromalacia), and respiratory disorders. The TDIU claim has been granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of evidence and further development is needed. The Veteran's lay statements suggest a possible secondary relationship between his service-connected left knee condition and his current lumbosacral strain and sciatica.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantial, gainful employment for the period prior to January 30, 2019.

The Veteran's increased rating claims for left foot plantar fasciitis, cervical spine disability, and left knee patella tendonitis are being remanded due to the inadequacy of prior VA examination reports.,Specifically, the June 2016 and August 2019 VA examination reports for cervical spine disability were found to be inadequate for adjudication purposes.

The Veteran's appeals for ratings in excess of 10 percent for her right and left wrist disabilities have been dismissed. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew her claims prior to the decision being promulgated.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for sleep apnea, back disability (to include degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine), left knee disability, right knee disability, and bilateral pes planus have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeals.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus has been denied as there is no current evidence of a tinnitus disability.,Claims for increased ratings for right knee limitation of extension, right knee instability, left knee strain with arthritis, and left knee instability have all been denied due to the Veteran's failure to report for VA examinations.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle and right knee disorders due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the onset of these conditions during or related to his military service.

The Veteran's knee and shoulder disabilities are being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for updated VA examinations.