Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's initial rating for Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood has been granted at a 70 percent level, effective July 2011. Service connection for hypertension and bilateral knee disability have been remanded due to insufficient evidence, while service connection for acid reflux remains pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disorder as secondary to his service-connected left knee disability, finding that there was no evidence linking the current right knee disorders to service or to his other disabilities.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including TBI, low back disability, knee and shoulder disabilities, nerve damage of upper extremities, urticaria, allergic rhinitis, chronic diarrhea, and left ear hearing loss. The Veteran will need new examinations for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional VA examination findings and addressing the revised rating criteria for Diagnostic Code 5257. The AOJ should also obtain any outstanding VA medical records.

The Veteran's right ankle strain with achilles tendonitis of the right heel, chronic lumbar strain and degenerative disc disease, lipoma of the lower back, chondromalacia of the right knee, chondromalacia of the left knee, and corneal scar and endothelial pigmentation of the right eye have been granted effective January 1, 1996. The Veteran's claim for lateral collateral ligament strain of the left ankle was dismissed as moot. The Veteran's claim for achilles tendonitis of the left heel associated with left ankle disability is denied.

The Board has found that there has not been substantial compliance with the previous remand directives and has ordered another remand for further development due to deficiencies in the June 2020 VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to a lack of current disability evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to an unresolved claim of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in a previous rating decision, which denied service connection for bilateral knee disability. The effective date issue is also being addressed.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his left and right knee disabilities, as well as service connection for a heart disability and TDIU were denied. The Board found the evidence against granting higher ratings for the knees due to limited flexion not meeting the criteria for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent. Service connection for coronary artery disease with congestive heart failure was remanded. TDIU was also remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate VA examination, and the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities need to be re-evaluated.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities due to inadequate prior VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee disability, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his active duty service. Service connection was denied for the left ankle disability due to lack of credible evidence linking an in-service injury.

The Veteran's initial increased rating for his right knee disability (arthritis and arthroplasty) is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection of her right knee condition, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between her current condition and her in-service injury. The examiner concluded that the appellant's current right knee condition is not related to her in-service knee injury.

The Board has granted initial compensable ratings for service-connected left and right knee disorders, but the issues of service connection for breathing disorder, neck disorder, and left elbow disorder are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain, right knee RPS, and left knee RPS are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations conducted in November 2020. Additional VA examinations are required that comply with Correia v. McDonald (2016) and Sharp v. Shulkin (2017).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to insufficient evidence.,Service connection is denied for thoracolumbar spine disability, disability manifest by joint pain (shoulders and knees), and respiratory disability (lung problems) including pulmonary coccidioidomycosis.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to insufficient evidence in some areas, particularly regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and right knee conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of any right leg disability found during the period on appeal, including whether it is caused by or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability.

The claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disability is reopened and the claims for service connection for a back disability, a heart disability, hypertension, and a temporary total evaluation for a left knee disability requiring convalescence are all remanded for further development.