Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, stroke, lumbar spine disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, hypertension, left hip disorder, and right hip disorder due to inadequate addendum opinions from a VA examiner.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 20 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The Veteran's tension headaches are rated at 30 percent, meeting the criteria for this level of disability. The Veteran's right knee disability remains at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, a right eye disorder, left knee disability, and right knee disability due to inadequate opinions in previous examinations. The claims are now pending for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of vocational rehabilitation and functional capacity evaluations, which were not provided by a vocational rehabilitation counselor as directed in the previous August 2019 remand. The Veteran's service-connected conditions include posttraumatic stress disorder, right lower extremity radiculopathy, lumbosacral strain, right hip osteoarthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and several other disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and unclear onset of his disabilities. The VA will attempt to obtain National Guard service records, including ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA records, and provide further development as needed.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The left knee disability issue has been remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the merits have been dismissed due to withdrawal of appeal. The claims for reopening were granted, and new evidence was submitted in support of these claims.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claims of service connection for left leg condition, bilateral knee arthritis, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The Board has remanded the claims for entitlement to service connection for a right knee disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, and cervical spine disability due to inadequate examinations.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete VA treatment records and uncompleted service treatment record searches. The Veteran's bilateral knee condition claim will be returned for further action.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral eye disability is denied as there is no evidence of an eye condition other than refractive error, which does not constitute a disability for VA purposes.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for pseudofolliculitis has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The claim remains remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate examination and rating criteria revisions.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to inadequate medical opinions. The main issues are about right knee, bilateral hand, Achilles tendonitis, left knee and foot disabilities, as well as lumbar spine and upper back disabilities.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee disability and a disorder manifested by tremors (to include Parkinson's disease) require further examination to determine their etiology. The case is being remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for increased evaluations for right and left knee disabilities, as well as a TDIU prior to December 1, 2020. The remand requires obtaining retrospective medical opinions regarding range of motion loss throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran's claim for an additional disability rating of 10 percent for instability of the right knee from August 2, 2019 was granted. The claim for a higher rating for right knee osteoarthritis remained denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, finding that it is related to the Veteran's service-connected cervical and/or lumbar spine disabilities.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his right knee degenerative joint disease was denied. However, he received a separate 20 percent rating for moderate instability of the right knee.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inconsistencies in medical records and need for clarification on certain issues. The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated as 10 percent prior to October 17, 2019, and 20 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.