Knee Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his service connection to right knee arthritis, left knee arthritis, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, and bilateral shoulder conditions. The Board found that there was no factual ascertainable increase in disability within a year prior to the date of the claim.

The Board has received a statement from the Veteran withdrawing his appeal for service connection claims related to left knee and left ankle disabilities. As a result, the appeals are dismissed.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete range of motion assessments in his lumbar spine and left knee disabilities.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral knee osteoarthritis may be service connected as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability, but more evidence is needed for a final decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's appeal due to inadequate examination and missing private treatment records. The Veteran is required to provide authorization for VA to obtain his private treatment records, and a new VA examination must be conducted.

The Board has determined that there was not substantial compliance with the prior remand directives and thus the claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's left knee disability has been rated based on multiple conditions, including limitation of extension, flexion, impairment of the tibia and fibula, and instability. The current combined rating is 60 percent, which prohibits any further increase in evaluation due to the amputation rule.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral wrist and knee disorders due to inadequate medical opinions. The claims will be reviewed again with new evidence.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, left and/or right Achilles tendon disorder, left foot disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder have been denied. The Board has remanded these issues due to the need for additional medical examination and opinion.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for right knee strain and instability were denied as his conditions do not warrant a rating in excess of the current 10 percent assigned.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including traumatic arthritis and instability, is not rated higher than 30 percent for the residuals of a right knee injury.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorders, bilateral ankle disorders, and a back disorder due to incomplete development of records.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and consideration of his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for annual clothing allowances for knee braces in 2017 is being remanded due to the lack of updated VA treatment records and clarification on his use of the braces.

The Veteran's tinnitus and left knee disorder are granted service connection, while the claims for scar on left forearm and bilateral hearing loss are denied.

The Veteran's claims for fatty liver, low back disorder, left shoulder disorder, bilateral athlete's foot, right hip disorder, left hip disorder, right ankle disorder, and left ankle disorder have all been denied. The issues of service connection for right and left hip disorders and right and left ankle disorders are being remanded.

The Veteran's right knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities have been granted increased ratings of 20 percent each since September 29, 2008. The TDIU claim prior to April 10, 2017 has also been granted.

The Veteran's current diagnoses are not related to service, and the Board denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the issue of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disability is granted. The Board has also remanded issues related to his bilateral hip condition, bilateral knee condition, PTSD, and bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis was granted. Increased ratings were granted for patellofemoral syndrome of the left and right knees, as well as limitation of extension of the right knee.