Knee Board decisions

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disorder should be remanded due to inadequate medical opinion and need for further development.

The Board has ordered additional development due to the need for a VA orthopedist's opinion regarding the nature and etiology of any diagnosed bilateral knee disorder, specifically addressing service records and private assessments.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability is not related to her service or a service-connected condition, and therefore denied her claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination and updated VA treatment records. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to an initial rating higher than 10 percent for residuals of a right knee injury is pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing. The claims related to his service-connected lumbar fusion, left knee condition, and right knee condition are still pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypothyroidism was incurred during active service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge appearing by live video teleconference (VTC).

The Board has decided that the case needs to be returned for additional development due to missing or incomplete records, and an addendum medical opinion is required regarding whether the Veteran's current knee, hip, and back disabilities are caused or permanently aggravated by his right ankle disorder.

The Veteran's right knee disability was found to be caused by an in-service disease, event, or injury and service connection is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations of his knees, ankles, and feet. The case will be returned for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the claims due to incomplete development and a need for an addendum VA medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and readjudication.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining SSA records and conducting VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee disabilities and non-service connected lower back disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's combined rating for his service-connected conditions is 90%, meeting the criteria for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his right knee disability. The issue will be reconsidered after this development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of this condition. The claim for service connection for a bilateral elbow disability was not addressed due to the Veteran refusing to report for the VA examination.

The Board has granted the Veteran increased ratings for his left knee, left hip, and lumbar spine disabilities. The left knee disability is now rated at 60 percent, the left hip disability at 30 percent, and the lumbar spine disability at 40 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to the need for new and material evidence, as well as for a VA examination. The Veteran's bilateral knee and left ankle disability claims are being reopened, but his hearing loss claim requires an SOC.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left and right knees. After considering all evidence, including VA examinations and treatment records, the Board finds that there is at least equipoise on the issue of whether these conditions are related to military service.