Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied, and the effective date for the current ratings remains April 26, 2016.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for left knee osteoarthritis, left knee instability, and piriformis syndrome of the left leg were denied. The current ratings are 10 percent each.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, ADD, PTSD, anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, primary insomnia, left knee strain, left shin splint, right knee strain, and right shin splint are all denied. The claim for service connection for sleep apnea is remanded.,An initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence linking the claimed disabilities to her military service, and the current effective rating was deemed appropriate.

The Veteran's appeal of his claim for service connection for a left knee condition has been dismissed due to the Veteran and his representative not responding within 30 days after being notified that failure to respond would result in the dismissal of his appeal.

The Veteran's claim of CUE in a December 1987 rating decision is being remanded for further adjudication due to the failure to properly address it.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate pre-decisional duty to assist errors in both left knee disability and bilateral hearing loss claims.

The Veteran's appeal includes claims for increased ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities, including limitation of flexion and instability. The Board has determined that remand is necessary due to procedural errors in the prior rating decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to errors in obtaining relevant records and providing adequate opinions.

The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis and instability were incurred during active service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The appeal is granted because the November 2017 Statement of the Case was sent to the incorrect representative, and thus the Veteran's representative filed a timely substantive appeal.

The Board has reopened the service connection claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension, and bilateral knee disorders due to new evidence received after a previous denial. However, the claims are denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected. The lower back, lacerations of the back, left foot, and left knee disabilities are remanded for further examination.

The Veteran contends that his current psychiatric disorder, including depression and anxiety, is related to service. The Board finds evidence has been submitted which supports that the Veteran’s sleep apnea may have had its onset during service.,The Veteran also contends that he has insomnia, a back disorder, sciatic nerve pain, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder all related to service. He was exposed to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities produced total occupational impairment from October 6, 2017. The Board granted an effective date of October 6, 2017 for the assignment of TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for SMC based on aid and attendance, finding that he does not meet the criteria to receive this benefit due to his service-connected disabilities. The Veteran was granted SMC for his spouse.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted effective May 9, 2019, due to his service-connected right knee disability and sleep apnea. The combined rating at the time of the grant of TDIU was 80 percent.

The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has ordered a remand to assess whether this rating should be increased or if the reduction from 100 percent was proper.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a failure to comply with VA's duty to assist in obtaining all relevant records, including those from the Veteran's Reserve service and Social Security Administration.

The Board dismissed all appeals seeking increased ratings for various shell fragment wound (SFW) conditions and scars, citing the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeals.