Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right knee, right heel, and acquired psychiatric disabilities. The VA must obtain addendum opinions addressing these issues.

The Board has remanded the left knee disability rating and TDIU issues due to inadequate examination reports, failure to obtain all relevant medical records, and inextricability with other claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection related to gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms have been denied. Effective dates for the awards of service connection are also denied.

The Veteran's right and left knee conditions have been granted separate ratings of 10 percent each for painful motion, effective October 24, 2011. The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder condition and sleep disorder.,Service connection was not established for the Veteran's claimed right shoulder condition or sleep disorder due to lack of current disability evidence.

The Board has restored a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected right knee instability effective November 1, 2015. The reduction from 20 to 10 percent was not proper due to evidence of worsening symptoms and functional impairment.

The Veteran's left knee DJD status post ACL reconstruction resulted in painful flexion and extension prior to April 10, 2015. The Veteran also experienced instability from March 14, 2013 to April 9, 2015.,Since October 15, 2019, the Veteran's left knee DJD status post ACL reconstruction resulted in chronic residuals of severe painful motion or weakness.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current right knee disability was caused by or aggravated by his service-connected right hip disability. The AOJ is instructed to obtain an addendum medical opinion from a VA examiner.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine disability, bilateral knee disability, and DJD of the low back. The disabilities are all found to be related to a July 2004 injury during INACDUTRA.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his right knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support such an increase.

The Board has restored the reduced ratings for left and right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy, but has remanded other claims including evaluations for ankle fracture, lumbar spine condition, knee conditions, and TDIU.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claims can be adjudicated on the merits. The Veteran's service-connected left and right knee disabilities, as well as his psychiatric disorder and sleep disorder, are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee degenerative joint disease and remanded the issue of a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for bronchial asthma.

The Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection for left knee disability, COPD, hypertension, skin cancer, and heart condition are all remanded due to incomplete service treatment records. The Board finds new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the claim for left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to service and granted service connection for this condition. The remaining issues, including those regarding low back strain, right knee patellar dislocation with chronic strain, limitation of flexion in the right knee, and hearing loss, are remanded due to outstanding VA and private treatment records.

The Board has granted service connection for low back disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible testimony of pain since service and his military duties as a cannoneer.

The Board has remanded the claims for cervical spine, lumbar spine (excluding spina bifida occulta), and left knee disabilities due to a lack of adequate medical opinions from an orthopedic surgeon.

The Veteran's claim for a rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew from appeal during an October 2019 Board hearing. The claims of entitlement to higher ratings for migraines, right knee degenerative joint disease, left knee degenerative joint disease, and residuals of traumatic brain injury are remanded.

The Veteran's right ankle, left knee instability, and lumbar spine disabilities have been granted initial disability ratings of 20 percent since August 24, 2011.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition was not shown as chronic in service or manifested to a compensable degree within one year after service discharge. The Board also found no evidence of continuity of symptomatology since service and concluded that the Veteran’s left knee disability is less likely related to an in-service injury.

The Board has denied the claims of service connection for various disabilities, including right and left shoulder disabilities, right wrist, left wrist, right ankle, left ankle, hernia, joint pain, and prostate cancer. The Veteran's prostate cancer was not found to be service-connected.