Knee Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral ankle, foot, and knee disabilities are not related to his service-connected right shoulder disability.,The Board also noted that the onset of these disabilities is not within one year after discharge from service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, traumatic brain injury, and right knee disability due to lack of evidence establishing a direct link between these conditions and service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a right knee condition and bilateral carpal tunnel due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board denied service connection for back, left ankle, bilateral knee, and right hip disabilities as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or caused by service.,The Veteran's current diagnoses of degenerative arthritis in his knees, ankles, and hips are considered to be due to natural aging and excess weight rather than being proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected feet conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA addendum opinion to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability, specifically whether his service-connected right knee disorders caused him to become obese or increased the severity of his obesity, which was a substantial factor in causing his left knee disability.

The Veteran's left knee disability is not service-connected, and the Board has remanded for further development.,The Veteran's COPD may be service-connected if VA can establish a link to his in-service herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, cervical spine disability, radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, and radiculopathy of the right upper extremity due to inadequate examinations.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's knee and back disabilities, including rating determinations for limitation of motion, lateral instability, and thoracolumbar strain. The remand requires obtaining complete post-service treatment records from the Department of Defense, conducting new examinations to assess current severity, and providing a retrospective opinion regarding flareups.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and need for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing an addendum VA examination.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disability, neck disability, bilateral hip disability, and bilateral knee disability. However, it denied these claims as there is no evidence linking any of these conditions to service.

The Veteran's current left knee disability is being remanded for further examination and opinion as the VA examiner did not address the Veteran’s reports of an altered gait caused by his service-connected right knee.

The Veteran's right knee and hip disorders are granted as secondary to his service-connected left total knee replacement.,An effective date of January 8, 2015 is granted for the assignment of a 20 percent initial rating for a right shoulder dislocation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease leading to current osteoarthritis and noting that the condition did not manifest within one year of separation from service. The Board also found that the Veteran had not provided sufficient medical opinion to establish a link between his current condition and military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including her lumbosacral strain, right ankle, left lower radiculopathy and right wrist conditions, are considered one disability with a combined rating of 60 percent. The Board finds that the functional impairment associated with these disabilities precludes the Veteran from securing substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at 10% since July 19, 2018. The Veteran's thoracolumbar myofascial strain with degenerative changes is rated at 20% since August 30, 2017.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions have been withdrawn. The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disorder, finding that the current condition is not causally or etiologically related to any incident of service and does not meet the criteria for secondary service connection due to a service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD. The claims for elbow, hip, and knee disabilities are remanded.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral knee disorder and a rating in excess of 10 percent for sacroiliitis due to additional evidentiary development. The current rating for sacroiliitis is 10 percent, effective from November 23, 2010.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate opinions provided by VA examiners. The issues include PTSD, right hand/finger disability, left knee and right knee disabilities, back disability, and neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities.