Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on all listed conditions has been dismissed due to her withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left and right knee disorders, as well as limitations of extension in both knees, are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's hypertension, skin condition, right knee cyst, and upper extremity nerve condition have not been established as service-connected.,There is no evidence of a chronic disability in any of these conditions during the appeal period.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis is not related to his military service.,The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee post-operative status repair prior to March 5, 2019 and initial rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee traumatic arthritis with decreased flexion and pain prior to March 5, 2019.

The Veteran's right knee patellofemoral syndrome is rated at 10 percent, effective July 2017. The Veteran's allergic rhinitis was previously rated as noncompensable and has been increased to 10 percent effective April 15, 2021.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral knee disability, an acquired psychiatric disability to include PTSD and major depressive disorder, and a right shoulder disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current allergies, left shoulder disability, right knee disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability are not service-connected. The heart disability and hypertension have also been denied.

The Veteran's right knee patellofemoral syndrome is rated at 10 percent for limitation of flexion, but a separate 30 percent rating is granted for limited extension starting from January 19, 2021.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral shoulder and knee disabilities due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder has been reopened due to the introduction of new and material evidence. The case is now remanded for further development, including a VA examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, and PTSD due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the issues of increased ratings for left knee disability and a separate compensable rating for left femoral nerve neuropathy. The Veteran's other service connection claims are no longer in appellate status.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for left knee instability from September 1, 2006 is granted. The Board found that the Veteran had slight lateral instability of the left knee as of this date and awarded him a 10 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for arthritis of the bilateral knees, low back condition, and carpal tunnel syndrome (left hand and right hand) due to insufficient evidence on record.

The Veteran's claim for SMC prior to January 13, 2020 was denied as he did not meet the criteria for SMC. However, from January 13, 2020, his TDIU based on his acquired psychiatric disability satisfied the requirement for a single disability rated total and combined with other disabilities, met the criteria for SMC.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right hip and right knee disorders, as secondary to a service-connected left knee disorder. The Veteran's right hip and right knee conditions are conceded, but aggravation opinions are needed due to the slow progression of his symptoms.

The Veteran's service connection for chronic bronchitis is granted. The rating for right knee disability prior to June 26, 2019 is denied. A separate rating for torn meniscus in the right knee prior to April 14, 2014 and residuals of a right knee meniscectomy from April 14, 2014 to September 30, 2019 are granted. A temporary total rating for residuals of partial right knee replacement surgery from October 1, 2019 to June 26, 2020 is granted. The Veteran's service connection for hiccups and muscular twitching (neurological tic) is granted with a rating of 30 percent.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain and left knee chondromalacia were denied. The rating for the lumbosacral strain was denied prior to April 10, 2021, and since that date. The rating for the left knee chondromalacia was also denied.

The Board has determined that the claims for increased ratings and TDIU are inextricably intertwined with the Veteran's claims for SSA records and private treatment records. The case is therefore being remanded to obtain these records.

The Veteran's service-connected left and right knee retropatella pain syndromes are rated at 10 percent each, but the Board denied higher ratings as his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.