Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings have been dismissed as the appellant has withdrawn all remaining issues associated with this appeal.

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, bilateral knee disability, and shin splints for additional development. The Veteran's service connection claims are not granted as there is no current diagnosis or evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has found that additional development is necessary to obtain VA treatment records from Martinsburg VAMC for the period from May 2016 to present. The claims are being remanded for this purpose.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen her claim for service connection for right knee disorder and remanded other issues related to GERD, lower gastrointestinal disorder, and peripheral vestibular disorder. The claims are now pending further examination and opinion.

The Board denied service connection for left shoulder disorder, right knee strain, right knee Osgood-Schlatter disease, right hamstring disorder, left hamstring disorder, and low back disorder. The Veteran's current diagnoses were not found.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations in the previous rating decisions. The Board requires a new examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected left knee disabilities, including pain, weakness, fatigability, or incoordination.

The Board has remanded the claims for further review due to new evidence and examinations being added to the record.

The Board has granted higher ratings for the Veteran's right leg and left leg disabilities, with a rating of 20 percent prior to July 25, 2019, and 30 percent since then. The Veteran's left knee patellar tendonitis remains at its current 20% rating.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities were granted initial noncompensable ratings prior to July 15, 2019. Ratings of 10% each were assigned for the period from July 15, 2019 onwards.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left knee tricompartmental degenerative joint disease was denied. The Board found that the disability did not exceed a noncompensable (0%) evaluation, as it was consistent with the pre-aggravation extent of disability. For TDIU, the criteria were met due to multiple service-connected disabilities rendering him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating of 20 percent for instability of the right knee prior to November 19, 2013 was granted. The claim for a higher rating for residuals of a right knee injury is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities have been granted initial compensable ratings of 10 percent each, effective from the date of the June 2013 rating decision.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, finding that they are related to his in-service injuries.

The Board has found that additional evidence was added to the claims file since the April 2016 SOC and requires remand for further action, including obtaining any outstanding VA and private treatment records.

The Veteran's right knee disability, left knee disability, back disability, and bilateral lower extremities radiculopathy have been granted service connection. The Veteran's depression has been remanded for further examination.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, GERD, right knee disability, left knee disability, and elevated cholesterol. The remaining issues were remanded.,The Board denied service connection for a right foot disability, left foot disability, right lower extremity circulatory disability, left lower extremity circulatory disability, and low back disability.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various conditions due to incomplete medical records. The Veteran is asked to provide authorization forms for Brick Hospital, Ocean Medical Center, and Dr. Chulie.

The Board has decided to remand both the neck disability and left knee disability claims due to new evidence indicating worsening of symptoms, including neurological abnormalities. The Veteran's statements about difficulty swallowing related to his neck surgery have also been considered.

The Veteran's right knee arthritis and instability have been granted initial ratings, with the arthritis receiving a 60% rating from October 9, 2019.

The Board has dismissed all issues on appeal due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeals.