Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be service-connected, with an effective date of March 21, 2017.,An earlier effective date of March 21, 2017 for the 40 percent rating assigned for lumbosacral strain and discogenic disease is granted.,Service connection for a gastrointestinal disability (claimed as diverticulosis) is remanded due to lack of evidence regarding its relationship with service-connected conditions.,Service connection for a prostate disability (claimed as prostate cancer) is remanded due to lack of evidence regarding its relationship with service-connected conditions.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, heart condition, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus are all remanded due to lack of evidence regarding their relationships with service-connected conditions.,Service connection for osteopenia is remanded due to lack of evidence regarding its relationship with service-connected conditions.,Service connection for a cervical spine disability is remanded due to lack of evidence regarding its relationship with service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee condition, and heart disease due to inadequate opinions from previous VA examiners. The Veteran is not entitled to service connection for these conditions as there is no evidence that they are related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy, as the evidence does not show it was diagnosed during active service or within a year of separation from active service. The weight of the evidence is against a finding that the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy was due to his presumed herbicide agent exposure.,The Board also denied increased ratings for left knee subluxation and pain, as there is no objective medical evidence showing continuous foot symptomatology or early-onset peripheral neuropathy.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to service and concluding that the Veteran's current right knee strain is not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the current disability ratings of 40 percent for residuals of a right femur fracture with right knee and hip disability, and noncompensable for residuals of a fracture, right tibial plateau, are appropriate.

The Veteran's left knee DJD is currently rated at 20 percent for limitation of flexion. The Board denied a higher rating, finding that the evidence does not support an increase in disability beyond what is already compensated.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee disability as secondary to his service-connected left knee and back disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for respiratory, skin, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to service. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right knee limitation of flexion, right knee degenerative joint disease, and left knee chondromalacia are remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's knee and shoulder disabilities, as well as his back disability. The main reasons for remand include obtaining additional medical opinions regarding the severity of the left knee disability, determining whether the left shoulder disability is proximately due or aggravated by a service-connected condition, and addressing the issue of entitlement to a TDIU prior to December 28, 2016.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that it is at least as likely as not caused and/or aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability. The decision also reopened the previously denied claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a right knee tear and depressive disorder, prevented him from securing or maintaining gainful employment. The Board found that he met the schedular criteria for a TDIU during the specified period.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for a low back disability and a right knee disability, as secondary to service-connected disabilities. The claims are being remanded again due to inadequate medical opinions addressing causation and aggravation.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease status post myocardial infarction is rated at 10 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's right knee meniscectomy and debridement is currently rated at 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 5261. The examination did not include range of motion testing in both passive motion and non-weight-bearing circumstances.

The Veteran's appeals were denied in various aspects, including extension of a temporary total rating for right knee convalescence beyond July 31, 2016; denial of earlier effective dates for left knee osteoarthritis and service connection for a right knee strain; and denial of a compensable rating for sinusitis.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate analysis and failure to address all claims reasonably raised by the record, including the Veteran's claim for a temporary total rating for left knee replacement surgery under 38 C.F.R. § 4.30.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability, right knee arthritis, and right lower extremity sensory impairment render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right shoulder disability, right knee disorder, hypertension, and left ear hearing loss due to incomplete records and need for medical opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee disability, post-total knee replacement, is granted a 60 percent rating since December 1, 2018.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of all claims in an October 2019 written statement.