Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to insufficient medical opinion regarding their etiology.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining VA treatment records from April 2021 to present, scheduling a VA examination, and addressing the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right knee instability and left knee strain with osteoarthritis and patellofemoral chondromalacia.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have worsened, and the Board finds it necessary to remand this matter for clarification regarding whether her service-connected disabilities preclude her from performing the duties of the occupation for which she previously was found rehabilitated or if the occupation is unsuitable on the basis of her specific employment handicap.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability (DJD) and a low back disability (DDD), finding that the evidence did not support a link to service or any other compensable condition.,Both conditions were determined to be unrelated to active duty, with no credible evidence of onset during service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lung disability and knee disabilities due to service connection issues. The lung disability claim is related to asbestos exposure, while the knee disabilities are linked to a reported fall during service.

The Board has determined that additional remand is required to obtain a new VA opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right knee disability, including whether it was related to service or any in-service injury.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee osteoarthritis, right knee osteoarthritis, and lumbar degenerative disc disease were denied in February 2011. The Board finds that the February 2011 decision contained CUE as it failed to fully consider available evidence of record, including service treatment records.,The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted with an effective date of January 26, 2010.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for an initial compensable rating for a left knee scar and a rating in excess of 30 percent disabling for a total left knee replacement.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for left knee disability is denied, but the Board grants a separate 20 percent rating for left knee instability.

The Board has remanded the claims for cervical spine DDD, right knee DJD, and lumbar spine DDD due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran is not granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee disability is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim to reopen the service connection for genital warts was denied. The Board found no new and material evidence, thus denying the reopening of this claim. Other claims were remanded due to insufficient treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for the periods from May 31, 2011, to January 29, 2014, and from March 2, 2015 forward due to insufficient evidence showing he is incapable of securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal for initial compensable ratings on several service-connected conditions, including a right knee scar and back disability, is remanded due to the need for additional evidence or examination. The TDIU claim from November 19, 2008, to October 22, 2009, is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and rating increases have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeals.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, to include PTSD, are related to her military service and the claim for service connection is granted. The claims for low back disability, bilateral foot disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, and allergic rhinitis remain pending.

The Board denied service connection for sinusitis, right knee disability, and bilateral ankle disability due to lack of credible evidence linking the conditions to active military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various musculoskeletal conditions, including bilateral eye condition, left knee condition, right knee condition, lumbosacral spine condition, cervical spine condition, right ankle condition, and left ankle condition. The VA is required to provide additional examinations or opinions that address the lay evidence of record and provide rationale for any conclusions reached.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to concerns about the competency of the VA examiner.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because he died during the pendency of his claims, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these appeals.