Knee Board decisions

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions due to deficiencies in the record and VA's duty to assist.

The Board granted earlier effective dates of January 13, 2021, for the assignment of a 50 percent evaluation for sinusitis, a 40 percent evaluation for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, and a 10 percent evaluation for left knee disability with instability (DC 5257). The claim for an earlier effective date than January 25, 2019, for the assignment of a 10 percent evaluation for left knee disability with limited flexion (DC 5260) was denied.

The appeal to discontinue the separate 10 percent rating for 'instability in status post operative medial meniscectomy and arthritis, right knee' was denied due to clear and unmistakable error.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including flat foot, plantar fasciitis, left shoulder condition, back condition, bilateral wrist condition, sleep disorder, right shin splints, and bilateral knee condition.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with subluxation and a rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with residuals of dislocated patella and ACL repair with degenerative joint disease.

The appeal for increased ratings for the Veteran's left and right knee conditions was dismissed due to a concurrent election of administrative review options.

The Board granted a 10 percent evaluation for chondromalacia, arthritis of the bilateral knee and denied entitlement to total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board granted service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and tinnitus, while denying service connection for various other disabilities including the right ankle, left ankle, right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, left knee, heart, respiratory, kidney, venous thrombosis, urinary hesitancy, acute metabolic encephalopathy, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep disturbance, abdominal distension, atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease, neurological disability, chronic fatigue syndrome, erectile dysfunction, stroke, skin disability, fibromyalgia, bilateral foot pain, hammer toes, tinea pedis, meningitis, GERD, traumatic brain injury, and irritable bowel syndrome. The Board also remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss and a back disability.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right knee instability, any acquired psychiatric disorder, arthritis, and a gastroenterology condition to ensure all relevant treatment records are obtained and VA examinations are conducted.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for right knee, left knee, and right foot disabilities to obtain adequate medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of April 1, 2024, for the grant of service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) but denied earlier effective dates for right knee, left knee, and right ankle disabilities as well as allergic rhinitis.

The Board granted service connection for left knee disability, diagnosed as left knee lateral meniscal tear/osteoarthritis.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for damage of the sensory nerve branch of the left mandibular nerve and remanded an initial rating for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with tendonitis.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee strain was denied, while his TDIU claim from August 24, 2020, was granted.

The Board granted restoration of the 60 percent disability rating for total left knee replacement with degenerative arthritis and chondromalacia, granted a separate 10 percent rating for left knee instability, denied an increased rating in excess of 50 percent for cervicitis with dysplasia status post hysterectomy, granted earlier effective dates for service connection and DEA eligibility, and denied extensions of temporary total evaluations and SMC.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, but remanded the claims for a right knee disability and left knee disability.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for various conditions and readjudication of the character of service due to new evidence.

The Board remands the claims for increased disability ratings for left knee scar and GERD due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for right knee limitation of flexion, finding that the evidence did not support a compensable rating at any time during the appeal period.

The appeal for service connection for a left hand disability and a left knee disability was withdrawn by the Veteran before the Board made a decision.