Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to inadequate examination findings and the absence of x-ray evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5243 for his degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and he was also denied a higher rating for his right leg radiculopathy.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to non-compliance with prior remand instructions. The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities need to be reassessed.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for peripheral vestibular disorder, right-hand disability, neck disability, and left knee disability due to lack of nexus opinions addressing in-service events or injuries.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee degenerative arthritis and lumbar spine DDD with radiculopathy to obtain additional medical opinions regarding their etiology. The issues are related to service connection on a secondary basis.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his right knee disability, higher initial ratings for left knee disability and scars, and a TDIU were denied due to failure to report for VA examinations. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for the requested increased ratings.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees is proximately due to or aggravated by her service-connected bursitis of the right hip and spondyloarthritis changes in L4-L5.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are remanded due to inadequate examinations. The cases will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is partially granted with some issues being remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's right knee disability is granted a 10% rating from December 13, 2011 to June 1, 2022 for limitation of extension.,A 10% rating was granted for the Veteran's left knee disability from June 10, 2019 onward due to limitation of extension.,The Veteran's right knee and left knee disabilities are not entitled to higher ratings based on flexion or other criteria.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient substantial compliance with its previous directives, specifically regarding a VA examination for right knee arthritis and instability. The Veteran is advised that she must cooperate with the VA examination process by accurately describing her symptoms and providing adequate effort on requested range of motion testing.

The Board has ordered a new examination to assess the Veteran's right knee disability, including range of motion testing and an estimate of functional impairment throughout the appeal period. The Veteran is advised that he must cooperate with efforts to develop evidence for his case.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to a disability rating exceeding 10 percent for the left knee based on limitation of flexion and extension, as well as the TDIU claim, due to outstanding records and the need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and other claims have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeals through his attorney.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to obtain retrospective medical opinions regarding the Veteran's range of motion prior to August 16, 2019, and whether his disability is consistent with ankylosis or its functional equivalent.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including instability and cartilage issues, is rated at 20 percent since July 1, 2013.

The Veteran's left knee disability is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to address the theories of entitlement related to service connection.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient examination reports, and no higher rating is currently supported by the evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee degenerative arthritis is related to service and grants the claim for service connection.

The appeal for service connection for hepatitis C has been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal. The appeals for increased rating for anxiety and depression, service connection for low back disorder, knee disorders, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus are all remanded.