Knee Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left knee disability due to insufficient evidence and a need for further examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, to include degenerative joint disease (DJD), due to inadequate review of his claims file and failure to schedule a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for a headache disability, finding that the Veteran's persistent headaches since service are due to his in-service fall. The Board denied service connection for left knee and back disabilities.,Service connection was not established for left knee or back disabilities as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or chronic condition following service.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for left and right knee patellofemoral syndrome, finding that the Veteran's range of motion did not warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee, left knee, right shoulder, left shoulder, and neck disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to his service-connected and non-service-connected disabilities, including ratings for various conditions. The AOJ is instructed to obtain the Veteran’s SSA records and update VA treatment records before readjudicating these claims.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal at this time.

The Veteran's heart palpitations/heart murmur and bilateral wrist disorder are granted service connection. Headaches, tooth/dental disorder, and bilateral knee disorder remain unresolved.,Service connection for bilateral wrist disorder is denied due to lack of in-service injury or disease. Service connection for headaches, tooth/dental disorder, and bilateral knee disorder remains pending.,The Veteran's headaches are remanded as the VA examination did not provide an opinion on their etiology. The service connection for tooth/dental disorder and bilateral knee disorder also need further evaluation.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including post-surgical conditions, is rated at 60 percent from April 1, 2018 to December 1, 2019. The Board finds the evidence in equipoise that his symptoms more closely approximate a 60 percent rating during this period.

The Board has found that there was no substantial compliance with the previous remand directives regarding the Veteran's right knee disability claim. As a result, another remand for further development is required.

The Board denied service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, and bilateral knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.,The VA examinations found no in-service injury or diagnosis related to the current disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee arthroscopy scar, associated with his service-connected left knee disability is granted from the effective date of February 12, 2010. The matter of entitlement to an initial compensable rating for left knee arthroscopy scar prior to January 22, 2020 and in excess of 10 percent thereafter remains on appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current back, neck, and bilateral knee disabilities and his active duty service.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Lakeland Regional Medical Center on November 1, 2015. The Board found that the treatment was not an emergency and VA facilities were feasibly available.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disorder and low back disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims. The Board also noted that further examination is needed to address whether the Veteran’s low back disorder was aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's residuals of a right hip gunshot wound are rated at 20 percent, but no higher. The Veteran's left knee disability is not rated above 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine, left hip, left knee, right foot, and left foot osteoarthritis were not incurred during service or caused by his service-connected right ankle disability. The conditions are considered to be due to non-service-connected risk factors such as age and obesity.,As a result, the Veteran is not entitled to service connection for any of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee and left knee (post-arthroplasty) based on continuity of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable, and the Board granted his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).