Knee Board decisions

The appeal on the issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left knee disability, finding that there is no credible evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for left knee condition, right knee condition, neck disorder, and low back disorder due to the lack of evidence showing that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on multiple issues has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of her appeal by her authorized representative.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left leg disability, including left fibular head fracture and knee disability. The Board found that there was no evidence to support that any current left leg disability was caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to inadequate examinations, including failure to account for flare-ups. The effective date of TDIU is also on appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for status post right ankle osteomyelitis with a right below the knee amputation, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that his disability was caused or aggravated by his service-connected peripheral neuropathy.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for an addendum VA opinion regarding the Veteran's right knee disability.

Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder, is granted.,Service connection for a left knee disability is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the right knee were denied as he failed to appear for a scheduled VA examination without showing good cause.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of entitlement to increased initial ratings for his right and left knee conditions, including degenerative joint disease. The case is being remanded for further action.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,Bilateral hearing loss is denied as not meeting VA disability criteria.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted service connection. From October 26, 2013, a disability rating of 20 percent for the right knee condition is granted. Prior to September 17, 2020, a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for the left knee condition is denied.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for Osgood-Schlatter’s disease of the right knee is being remanded due to insufficient medical examination and unclear differentiation between service-connected and nonservice-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence of worsening hearing loss, and a new VA examination is needed.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted with a rating of 50 percent, effective July 11, 2014. The right hip limitation of extension and right femur fracture residuals are each granted separate noncompensable ratings as of April 14, 2018. Patellofemoral pain syndrome of the right knee is denied. Scars of the bilateral lower extremities are granted a separate 10 percent rating as of July 25, 2014.

The Veteran's left knee strain was granted a 30 percent rating since June 20, 2018. The issue of left knee instability is separately rated at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the cases for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, including whether they are related to his service-connected left ankle fracture or right knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee condition, hypertension, and kidney disorder on substitution purposes.,Service connection is also granted for hypertension due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents (Agent Orange).,Service connection is granted for kidney disorder secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for a right knee condition and separate ratings for right knee instability prior to March 14, 2017, are denied. The Board finds that the criteria for a higher rating from March 14, 2017, are not met.