Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to a lack of VA treatment records, including those from private care providers. The Veteran is asked to submit or authorize VA to obtain these records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric condition and for increased disability ratings for his right knee, instability of the right knee, and left ankle conditions. The decision also remanded the issues regarding the Veteran's right knee and left ankle conditions for further examination.

The Veteran's left knee disorder was rated at 10 percent prior to March 12, 2020 and increased to 20 percent thereafter.,The Veteran is not entitled to a disability rating in excess of the assigned ratings.

The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his left knee injury, currently rated at 20 percent, is denied. The issue of service connection for tinea (diagnosed as dermatitis bilateral lower extremities and tinea cruris), to include as secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder, is remanded.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for cervical spine disability, lumbosacral spine disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to inadequate VA examinations. The Veteran contends that her current disabilities are related to her in-service injuries or a service-connected condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination records, but the preponderance of evidence is against granting higher ratings for the Veteran's cervical spine, knee, and ankle conditions.

The Board denied service connection for right and left knee disabilities, finding no evidence of such conditions during or immediately after service. The Veteran's current symptoms were first noted two and a half years post-service.,For his migraines, the Veteran was granted service connection but not with a compensable rating as his attacks did not meet the criteria for any level of disability under DC 8100.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than August 4, 2017 for the grant of service connection for right hip flexor strain with limitation of extension and right elbow medial epicondylitis are denied.

The Board has denied service connection for cervical spine, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any presumptive exposure.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate VA opinions and inconsistent credibility determinations regarding the Veteran's lay statements of continuity of symptoms. The claims are now pending for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder degenerative joint disease, left and right knee degenerative arthritis, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since June 25, 2019. The Board granted the TDIU claim based on the benefit-of-the-doubt doctrine.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and medical opinions to determine if service connection can be established for back, right knee, left knee, and neck conditions.

The Veteran's right knee DJD has been rated at 10 percent since January 31, 2009. The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his right knee DJD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability and an esophageal disability (GERD) as there was no evidence linking these conditions to active duty service.

The Veteran's service-connected osteoarthritis of the right and left knees, as well as semilunar cartilage damage in both knees, have not been rated higher than 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right knee chondromalacia patella and right ankle closed fracture with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on functional loss or impairment, as there was no objective evidence of limitation of motion.

The Board denied service connection for right and left knee disabilities, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support a link to active service.

The Board has remanded the claims due to incomplete records, specifically Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits records. The Veteran is seeking increased evaluations for his left knee disabilities and a TDIU.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on several conditions have been dismissed. The claims of reopening a psychiatric disorder and hypertension have been remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate opinions regarding service connection for a left knee disability, which is secondary to a service-connected right knee disability. The Veteran's knee issues were noted during active duty and in subsequent treatment records.