Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of his acquired psychiatric disorder, left hand and right hand disorders, and left knee disorder. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations for these conditions.

The Board has denied service connection for a right shoulder disorder and a left knee disorder other than radiculopathy, finding that the Veteran does not have these conditions due to service or within one year of discharge.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left knee condition due to outstanding private medical records not being associated with the claims file.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the failure of the Veteran to report for scheduled VA examinations. The Board will provide another opportunity for the Veteran to attend these exams.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence. The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for left and right ankle disabilities, as well as his claims for service connection for a left hip condition and bilateral radiculopathy of the lower extremities are also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings due to the need for a contemporaneous VA examination and consideration of additional medical records.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for right knee, left knee, back, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus type II disabilities. The issues are remanded due to a lack of SSA records.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn regarding the right ankle fracture. The Board has remanded cases for further examination and review of medical records.

The Veteran is granted a 20 percent rating for left knee instability as of February 23, 2011. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence indicated moderate instability prior to June 9, 2016.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee osteochondritis dissecans was incurred during his period of active service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service connection claim for chronic low back pain was denied as there is no evidence of a low back disability related to his military service.,The Veteran's depression rating was denied as the symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, with occupational and social impairment in most areas but not total occupational and social impairment.,The Veteran's left knee disability ratings were denied as they do not exceed 10 percent due to pain, limitation of motion, and slight instability without further functional impairment.,The Veteran's right knee disability ratings were denied for the same reasons as his left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate VA opinions and failure to consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service pain.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a lipoma removal from the top of his head has been granted. His claims for left and right ankle disabilities, excluding Achilles tendonitis, have also been granted with effective dates based on when he first filed his initial claim. The Veteran's depressive disorder and obstructive sleep apnea are found to be related to his service-connected conditions, and his headaches are secondary to these disorders. Service connection has not been established for anemia or right knee chondromalacia.

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has decided to remand the case for a VA examination to assess the functional impairment.

The Veteran's right ankle disorder is granted a 20% rating. Service connection for bilateral knee and low back disorders are denied.

The Veteran's left foot drop disability is granted a 30 percent rating, but no higher. The claim for SMC for loss of use of the left foot was denied due to lack of evidence of complete paralysis. The Veteran's left knee ACL tear and limitation of extension are both rated as noncompensable.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to conflicting medical opinions and a need for further examination.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities cause functional impairments that preclude unassisted balance and propulsion to such degree that the Veteran would be equally well served by use of suitable prosthetic appliance at the knee level, resulting in a finding of loss of use of both legs at the knee level.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine and right knee, finding no evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has decided that the claim for service connection of a left knee disorder must be remanded due to incomplete examination and lack of an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's 2000 complaints of knee pain.