Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's dysthymic disorder is rated at 50 percent since August 11, 2017. The Board found that the symptoms did not meet criteria for a higher rating.,Right knee and right hip DJD are both currently rated at 10 percent.

Service connection is granted for degenerative arthritis of the right knee and left knee. Service connection is denied for bilateral pes planus, low back disorder, residuals of a left leg fracture, left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, right hallux valgus (bunions), and left hallux valgus (bunions). The cases are remanded for further action.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a finding that his right knee disability was proximately caused or aggravated by his service-connected left knee chondromalacia.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and need for additional evidence. The Veteran's right knee and left knee conditions are being reviewed, as well as his acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus, fallopian tube adhesions with removal of the left ovary, and increased rating for right knee patellofemoral syndrome and degenerative arthritis status post arthroscopy have all been denied. The Board found insufficient evidence to support service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left knee disability and hypertension due to inadequate medical opinions in the July 2019 addendum. The VA must provide new opinions addressing the etiology of the Veteran's current left knee condition, its onset during service or post-service, and his hypertension.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hip disability was reopened and granted. Service connection is also granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder (major depressive disorder), but denied for left knee, low back, cervical spine, and right shoulder disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for heart disease is remanded.,Service connection for hypertension (HTN) and right knee osteoarthritis was denied as the conditions were not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, nor are they related to a service-connected condition. The Veteran’s BHL prior to December 7, 2017, and in excess of 10 percent thereafter is also denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee osteoarthritis was remanded as the evidence does not show that the condition manifested during or within one year after service. The Veteran’s BHL prior to December 7, 2017, and in excess of 10 percent thereafter is also denied.

The Veteran's service connection claims for cerebrovascular accident, heart condition, kidney condition, testicular condition, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), bilateral knee condition, and left lower and upper extremity paralysis have all been denied as there is no evidence of a direct link between these conditions and his military service.,The Veteran's service records were destroyed in 1973, making it impossible to establish any connection between the claimed disabilities and his active duty.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the service connection claims and the reopening of a pneumonia claim before the Board could make a decision.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee, right foot, and left foot conditions due to lack of a current diagnosis. The claims are being remanded for additional examinations and updated treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including VA examinations and obtaining SSA disability records. The focus of the appeal is on whether his service-connected disabilities meet the criteria for automobile and adaptive equipment benefits.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee disorders and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete development, including a lack of VA medical records and service treatment records. The AOJ is instructed to obtain these records and provide clarifying opinions from VA examiners regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's conditions.

The Veteran's GAD is rated at 50 percent, effective from the date of this decision. The TDIU claim has been granted.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of low back disability and left knee disability for further examination and opinion regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD have been reopened. The initial disability rating for painful scar residual of shrapnel fragment wound, claimed as SFW, right leg is denied. The initial compensable rating for left popliteal fossa scar residual of shrapnel fragment wound, claimed as SFW, right leg is also denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to incomplete opinions regarding preexisting conditions, lack of discussion on lay statements, and need for continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to withdrawals. The remaining claims of entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus, posterior calcaneal bursitis (right foot), and atherosclerotic heart disease are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of evidence and a need for an updated VA examination. The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 30 percent from May 1, 2017 to April 10, 2019.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and increased rating of various conditions, including a right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Veteran's left knee condition is currently rated at 30 percent under Diagnostic Code 5260.