Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of current bilateral hearing loss disability.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to service-connected sinusitis with headaches is granted. The Board resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection were denied. The Board found that the Veteran’s left shoulder, left knee, and right knee disabilities do not meet or approximate the criteria for higher ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right hip disability, and left shoulder condition due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right hand, right knee, right foot, and left foot disabilities due to inadequate reasons or bases in previous decisions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which were previously denied. On remand, the Veteran should be afforded new VA examinations to determine if his current symptoms are related to active service or his service-connected mood disorder NOS.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his left knee disability and for consideration of TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of records from the Veteran's alleged hospitalization in Long Binh Evacuation Hospital and the need for an examination to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various shoulder, knee, back, and foot disorders due to inadequate VA examinations and missing medical records. The Veteran's claim for sleep disorders is also remanded as there was no examination or opinion regarding insomnia.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for a painful upper left calf scar is denied.,The Veteran's claims for initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for left knee limitation of motion due to a left knee scar and right knee limitation of motion due to a left knee scar are remanded for further development.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for a painful upper left knee scar is also remanded for further development.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a right hip and right knee condition, as they are related to his service-connected right ankle disability. The claims will be reviewed again with additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's left knee disability is granted as secondary to the service-connected left ankle strain. The right knee and right ankle disabilities are denied, and a remand is ordered for further examination regarding insomnia.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence suggesting that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities may be caused or aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability, lower extremity radiculopathy, and right thigh myositis ossificans. The case is now pending for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the issues of service connection for a left knee condition and a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, claimed as MST are being remanded due to new evidence received.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for further verification of his National Guard service. The AOJ is instructed to obtain missing medical records, verify his periods of active duty, and consider possible undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained multi-symptom illness if confirmed.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is not related to his time in service and was denied.,The Veteran's left knee ACL tear, PCL partial tear does not limit flexion to 30 degrees and the instability more nearly approximates slight instability. An increased rating for this condition is granted.,Right knee strain (painful limited extension) associated with left knee ACL tear is not limited to 10 degrees of extension and an increased rating is denied.,Right knee strain (painful limited flexion) associated with left knee ACL tear is not limited to 30 degrees of flexion and an increased rating is denied.,A separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability is granted based on history of slight recurrent subluxation and slight lateral instability.,Left hip abduction does not result in motion lost past 10 degrees and a non-increased rating for left hip strain associated with left knee ACL tear is denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder, finding that his current condition is related to an in-service injury and resolving all doubt in his favor.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to properly rate the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee conditions, specifically regarding functional loss due to flare-ups and distinguishing between symptoms related to the service-connected disabilities from those of non-service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his knee disabilities, as there was no limitation of extension to 15 degrees or dislocated semilunar cartilage.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The initial rating for ITBS of the left and right knees is 10%, while a 20% rating was assigned for mechanical back strain.

The Veteran's bilateral knee degenerative osteoarthritis is granted service connection. The Veteran's left eye extraocular muscle dysfunction with diplopia, status-post surgical revision of orbital fracture, is remanded for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's left ankle disability was rated at 10 percent prior to October 15, 2018 and increased to 20 percent thereafter. The claim for a higher rating is denied.,TDIU was granted effective October 15, 2018, but the pre-October 15, 2018 period is not considered due to lack of minimum schedular requirements.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for TDIU prior to October 15, 2018.