Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's disabilities and his military service. The claims will be reviewed again with additional development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his right knee, PTSD and alcohol abuse, episodic, GERD, cervical spine spondylosis, and degenerative arthritis of the thoracic spine disabilities are being remanded due to inadequate development. The Veteran will be scheduled for examinations to assess the current severity of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need for additional VA and non-VA treatment records, as well as a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo, acid reflux, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to inadequate addendum opinions from previous VA examinations.

The Board has determined that additional development is required for the Veteran's claims, including a VA examination to assess his sarcoidosis and other service-connected disabilities. The issues of entitlement to service connection are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for migraine headaches, a right knee disability, and coronary artery disease. The Veteran is also seeking earlier effective dates for his service connection awards.

The Board has granted service connection for various conditions, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, right and left ankle musculoligamentous strain, right and left knee osteoarthritis, right and left hip disabilities, and bilateral flat foot. The decisions are based on direct service connection as there is no indication of a presumption or secondary condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disorder, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current left knee disorders and his military service or any service-connected disability. The Board also found that the Veteran's left knee disorders are not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected back disorder.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy prior to September 4, 2019 and in excess of 10 percent thereafter was denied. The Veteran also received an award of TDIU effective March 5, 2015.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his right knee degenerative arthritis was denied as the evidence did not show limitation of motion that would warrant a higher rating.,The Veteran's claim for shortening of the right leg secondary to his service-connected right knee disability was also denied, as there is no compensable rating available under VA regulations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that there was no direct or secondary service connection based on the lack of evidence showing a nexus between his current condition and service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a VA examination to determine whether his right and left knee semilunar cartilage dislocations are service-connected or due to other conditions. The issues include determining if these conditions result in frequent episodes of locking, pain, and effusion.

The Board denied service connection for headaches, bilateral foot disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder, and left knee disorder as they were not related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's SMC claim for regular aid and attendance is granted. The automobile allowance claim is denied due to the absence of permanent loss of use of one or both feet, severe burn injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ankylosis of knees or hips in his service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim before July 17, 2002, is remanded for extraschedular consideration.

The Board denied service connection for decreased memory, left ankle condition, and right ankle condition due to lack of a current diagnosis and insufficient evidence linking these conditions to service.,Service connection was also denied for anemia, hypertension, kidney condition, left knee condition, and right knee condition as the preponderance of the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is denied as he does not meet the criteria for a schedular or extra-schedular TDIU rating due to his service-connected disabilities alone.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for traumatic arthritis of the right and left knees, as well as a separate rating for residuals of partial meniscectomy of the right knee, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted for a left lower eyebrow disability. Claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities, thyroid cancer, esophageal cancer, lung cancer, and lymph node cancer (lymphoma) are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity arthritis and a right knee disability have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's right knee disability is granted as service connected, with symptoms beginning during active duty and continuing since then.