Knee Board decisions

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions including depression, anxiety, obstructive sleep apnea, hemorrhoids, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a lumbar spine condition, bilateral knee joint pain, bilateral lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy and allergic rhinitis.

The Board has denied service connection for a left knee condition and remanded the issue of service connection for a right knee condition due to insufficient rationale in the June 2019 VA opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the appeals for right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and right shoulder disorder are being remanded due to new evidence. The heart disorder claim is also being remanded. The rating for lumbar strain with scoliosis remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right wrist disability, pes planus, and an initial rating higher than 20 percent for left knee disorder. The claim for a separate 10 percent rating for instability of the left knee was granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee condition has been granted. However, his claims for chronic fatigue syndrome and other conditions have been denied.,The Veteran's bilateral pes planus, headaches, and dry eyes ratings are remanded due to lack of recent VA examinations.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for a special home adaptation grant, and thus denied his appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings and earlier effective dates for his service-connected knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support these claims based on the current disability picture.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including bilateral arm, shoulder, hip, knee, neck, and sleep apnea, are not service-connected.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for instability of the left knee from September 9, 2008 to April 30, 2013 is granted. The Board found that it was at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced slight instability during this period.

The Veteran's left knee strain is granted service connection. Service connection for residuals of left inguinal hernia and bowel damage secondary to lower scope of abdomen are denied. The issue of neck condition is remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disorders, finding that there is no evidence of a disease or injury in service or since service that caused his current conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are remanded due to the need for further examinations and development of his medical records.

The Veteran's initial rating for his right knee disability has been granted at a 30 percent level prior to January 19, 2016 and at a 60 percent level since March 1, 2020. A separate 10 percent rating is also granted for right knee instability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee condition, to include osteoarthritis as secondary to his service-connected right knee osteoarthritis was reopened and granted. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were also granted.

The Board has vacated its previous decision denying service connection for the Veteran's left knee disability due to a procedural error in not considering his in-service complaints of bilateral knee pain. The case is now remanded for further development and an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current left knee disability is related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety, is granted service connection as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability. Service connection for left ankle, right ankle, and right knee disabilities are also granted. The Veteran's increased rating claim for spondylolisthesis L5-S1 with arthritis remains denied.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for a new VA examination due to inadequate information regarding flare-ups and functional impairment during such flare-ups.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee condition and a left knee condition, finding that the Veteran's current bilateral knee conditions are related to his active military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral ankle, knee, and hip disabilities due to inadequate opinions in the September 2017 VA examination. The examiner failed to address whether the Veteran’s claimed disabilities are related to his conceded in-service fall from a helicopter while serving as a dog handler.