Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim due to an inadequate August 2015 medical examination. The case will be returned for a new opinion that addresses all claimed in-service events, including lifting boxes and MVA.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cholesteatoma, right knee disability, left hip disability, left ankle disability, and low back disability all claimed as secondary to a service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to insufficient evidence of a current disability, despite the Veteran's lay statements and VA examination findings. The case is being returned for further development including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling an appropriate VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for hemorrhoids and a psychiatric disorder. The remaining issues of service connection have been remanded due to incomplete development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right and left knee conditions due to a lack of VA examination, and requests that updated treatment records be obtained.

The Board has granted a separate 10 percent rating for osteoarthritis of the left knee, effective August 26, 2011. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his post-operative internal derangement of the left knee was denied as there is no evidence of moderate recurrent subluxation or lateral instability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as his functional impairments are not severe enough to prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims due to inadequate examination reports and incomplete medical records. The main reasons for remanding are for new examinations, especially concerning the lumbar spine and allergic rhinitis.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is necessary to assess the current severity of the Veteran's knee disorders and to determine appropriate ratings. The claims are being remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar myositis, back condition; left knee degenerative changes associated with right knee meniscal strain and anxiety have been granted. The claims of service connection for parent-child relational problem (resolved as depression) are remanded.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for hemorrhoids and GERD have been dismissed. The appeal for tinnitus has been partially granted with a 10% rating prior to February 27, 2018, but denied thereafter. Appeals for wrist disabilities, knee disabilities, ankle disabilities, and cervical spine disability are remanded.

The Veteran's left knee DJD was granted a separate 10 percent evaluation for limitation of flexion from April 11, 2017. The right knee DJD also received a separate 10 percent evaluation for limitation of flexion as of that date. No other ratings were changed or denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to his left knee disability, throat and skin conditions. The RO is instructed to obtain VA treatment records from Pittsburgh and/or Oakland VAMC facilities from 1967, as well as any private records not already associated with the file. A VA examination will be scheduled to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed skin condition, including whether it is related to service or herbicide exposure. Additionally, a PTSD examination will be conducted to assess the current severity of his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with a VA examination to assess the severity of his spine and knee conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating on headaches is dismissed. The right hip condition and endometriosis are granted, but the left knee degenerative lateral meniscus and wrist carpal tunnel syndromes remain at their current ratings. A TDIU is granted.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for unspecified depressive disorder was dismissed. The Board also remanded the cases of degenerative disc disease, thoracolumbar spine; right thigh disability; and right knee osteoarthritis.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for osteoarthritis of the left knee and instability of the left knee are being remanded due to new evidence and need for a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeals to establish clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the June 1997 and July 2007 RO rating decisions that denied service connection for right shoulder degenerative joint disease and bilateral knee degenerative joint disease, respectively. The claims were based on direct service connection without any presumption or secondary relationship.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal of the issues regarding service connection for left shoulder and left knee disorders.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the right knee, hip, and hip replacement are being remanded due to new evidence received since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case.