Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected left and right knee disabilities due to inadequate examination findings, need for new rating criteria application, and need for additional medical records.

The Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, as well as his low back strain secondary to a service-connected right foot disability, are granted. The case is remanded for an examination regarding the Veteran's hepatic structures.

The Veteran's claim for SMC based on aid and attendance or housebound status is denied due to the lack of evidence showing he requires regular aid and attendance or is permanently housebound.,The SMP claim for aid and attendance is remanded as the RO failed to address this issue in the Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings prior to April 21, 2015 were denied as his left knee disabilities did not warrant higher ratings based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities prior to May 6, 2017 were denied as the evidence did not show flexion or extension limitations warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her lumbar spine and right knee disabilities, as well as service connection for psoriasis secondary to her major depressive disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions. The VA is instructed to obtain new VA opinions addressing whether the diabetes mellitus type II and right knee disorder clearly and unmistakably preexisted service, were aggravated by service, or are related to service.

The Board has found that the ratings for ligament laxity/instability of the bilateral knees are part and parcel of the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his bilateral knee disabilities. The case is being remanded to obtain VA treatment records, authorize private treatment records, schedule a VA examination, and provide the Veteran with a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) which provides him with notice of the new musculoskeletal rating criteria.

The Board denied service connection for left and right knee disorders, finding that the Veteran's current knee disabilities are not related to his military service or a service-connected disability.,The Board also denied increased ratings for degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as he is currently employed and has been for several years.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including the residuals of a meniscectomy and degenerative joint disease, is currently rated at 30 percent. The appeal for an increased rating has been granted.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to their death, and the issues have become moot.

The Veteran is granted SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(m) for loss of use of both legs and SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l) based on the need of regular aid and attendance due to multiple service-connected disabilities other than those indicating that he has loss of use of both legs.,The Veteran is also granted SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(o).,However, the Veteran's entitlement to SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(r)(2) remains pending as it requires a higher level of care which has not been determined.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's preexisting left knee condition was aggravated during his active military service, and thus grants entitlement to service connection for a left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle, left knee, and right knee disabilities as secondary to his service-connected left ankle traumatic arthritis due to insufficient clarification from the VA examiner regarding whether the service-connected left ankle disability caused or aggravated these other disabilities.

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at 60 percent, and the Board denied a higher rating. The Veteran also received TDIU based on his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various knee and gastritis disabilities, as well as a right ankle disability. The Veteran's VA treatment records from May 2019 to the present are requested, along with his Social Security Administration records.

The Veteran's right knee disability, characterized as degenerative joint disease and meniscus tear, is rated at 40 percent from May 15, 2015. A separate 20 percent rating for semilunar cartilage dysfunction of the right knee is granted effective May 15, 2015. The Veteran's left knee instability is also rated at 10 percent.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right knee disabilities, finding that there is no evidence to support a nexus between his current disabilities and his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right knee. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a right hip disability, claimed as secondary to the right knee disability, is remanded.