Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection for obstructive sleep apnea due to a lack of adequate medical examination records and insufficient reasoning in previous decisions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is caused by his service-connected left knee strain or bronchitis and COPD. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to address this issue.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding causation of obesity by a service-connected psychiatric disability and whether the left knee disorder was caused or aggravated by that condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to a lack of substantial compliance with the October 2020 remand.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's right knee disability and his service. The examiner is asked to provide a more detailed opinion on this issue.

The Veteran's right knee lateral instability is rated at 20 percent from January 7, 2014. The higher rating was granted as the disability more nearly approximated moderate instability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinion on whether the Veteran's left knee disability was aggravated by his service-connected bilateral ankle disability.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis, left middle finger sprain, and low back disability manifested by pain. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible statements regarding his in-service injuries and subsequent symptoms.

The Board has granted a separate rating of 10 percent for right knee instability, but denied the claim for a higher rating for right knee limitation of motion.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability and TDIU from March 11, 2020. The Veteran's appeal was remanded to consider the issue of TDIU prior to March 11, 2020.

The Veteran's left knee instability is now rated at 20 percent effective February 7, 2021. All other claims remain denied.

The Veteran's left knee total arthroplasty is currently rated at 30 percent prior to July 10, 2019, and 40 percent thereafter. The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate explanation of why intermediate degrees of weakness, pain or limitation of motion do not warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's left and right total knee arthroscopies are rated at 60 percent each from March 1, 2016, through June 26, 2019.,Service connection for a right shoulder disability is remanded due to the need for further evaluation of its relationship to service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss. The case is remanded for further examination of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to inadequate examination and new evidence indicating worsening of the Veteran's knee conditions.

The Veteran's left knee brace, which he uses to treat his service-connected gunshot wound residuals, tended to wear out or tear his clothing. The Board granted an annual clothing allowance for the 2018 calendar year for this brace.

The Veteran's appeal for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized expenses incurred at Sanpete Valley Hospital is denied because the treatment was not for an emergency medical condition.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's right knee disorder may be related to service, and thus remands the case for further development.

The Veteran's left knee flexion and extension are currently rated at the maximum allowed under VA regulations, with no further increase warranted.,For his right knee, the current ratings for limitation of extension meet or exceed the required criteria.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development and evaluation, including a review of her medications' impact on her symptoms.