Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequacies in the previous VA opinion and need for additional evidence, particularly regarding the July 1992 left knee injury during ACDUTRA and the August 2002 surgery.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, degenerative joint disease and traumatic arthritis of the right knee, degenerative joint disease and traumatic arthritis of the left knee, and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine.

Service connection for PTSD is granted. Service connection for a right knee disability is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee osteoarthritis and right knee osteoarthritis are reopened, but the left knee disorder is denied. The claim of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right knee disorder and migraine headaches have been granted. The Board found new evidence that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims, including testimony regarding in-service injuries and continuous symptoms since then.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient detail in previous VA medical opinions regarding service connection for left knee disability and hepatitis B. The Veteran's left knee condition is being evaluated again, as well as whether the Veteran had a diagnosis of gout or pseudogout during service which could have caused his current chondromalacia. For hepatitis B, the Board needs to determine if it was present during the appeal period and if it is related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing medical expense records. The issues of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen claims for service connection for right and left knee disorders, and entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea will be addressed in a separate decision.

The Veteran's left knee instability and arthritis were rated based on their severity, with the highest rating granted for each condition.

The Board denied service connection for high blood pressure, left leg disability (including left knee disability), and PTSD. The Veteran's high blood pressure was not shown to have started in service or within one year of service discharge. Service treatment records did not show ongoing symptoms of hypertension during service. For the left leg disability, there is no evidence showing an injury or disease in service that caused current symptomology. The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD is related to a stressor from service.,The Board denied service connection for high blood pressure and left leg disability (including left knee disability). There was no indication of hypertension during service, nor were there any symptoms noted post-service until 2008. For the left leg disability, the Veteran did not provide evidence showing an injury or disease in service that caused current symptomology.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. Service connection was not granted as the evidence did not show a chronic condition within one year of discharge or that it was related to his service-connected disabilities. Increased ratings for right knee arthritis and instability were also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee, rotator cuff tear of the right shoulder, right hand and wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, and left hand and wrist carpal tunnel syndrome. The disabilities are considered to be directly related to the Veteran's active service.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee instability is granted a separate rating of 10 percent, effective December 10, 2018.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee condition, increased rating for a left shoulder disability, and TDIU due to deficiencies in the VA examinations provided.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee and left knee disabilities. The Veteran's claims for other conditions are remanded.

A 20 percent rating, but no more, for a right hip strain with mild degenerative changes (limitation of extension) is granted. A rating in excess of 10 percent for a right knee strain with mild degenerative changes is denied. Service connection for residuals of a pelvis fracture is denied. The Veteran's claim for TDIU is also remanded.

The Veteran's right knee disability, which includes painful restricted motion with flexion at worst to 60 degrees and full extension to 0 degrees, is rated 10 percent under Code 5259. The criteria for a higher rating have not been met.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's service connection claims for right and left knee disabilities due to new evidence received since the February 2012 denial. The appeal is granted as to these issues, but further examination is needed to determine if there are current disabilities related to service.

The Veteran's application to reopen her sleep apnea claim is granted, and she is entitled to an effective date prior to October 31, 2015 for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The Board has determined that a VA examination is necessary to determine the etiology of her sleep apnea and to assess the current severity of her PTSD, cluster headaches, right foot heel spur, left ankle sprain with heel spurs, and patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee.

The Board dismissed all appeals as the Veteran died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings prior to August 28, 2018 were denied. From October 1, 2019, the claim for a rating in excess of 60 percent for left knee status post total knee replacement was also denied.