Knee Board decisions

The Board remands the claims for service connection for right knee strain, lumbosacral strain, cervical strain, and right shoulder strain due to inadequate VA examinations.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability, left knee disability, acquired psychiatric disability, and hypertension as the probative evidence did not establish that these conditions were etiologically related to the Veteran's active service.

The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for left knee DJD, status-post meniscectomy (instability) from May 20, 2016 and increased the initial disability rating for left knee DJD, status-post meniscectomy with left leg shin splints based on limitation of flexion to 20 percent effective April 5, 2024.

The Board remands the claims for further development and re-adjudication in compliance with directives specified due to deficiencies in previous VA examinations.

The Board remands the issues of the propriety of the reduction in evaluation of the left knee, a rating in excess of 10 percent for osteoarthritis of the left knee, and entitlement to a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's right and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding no evidence of a medical nexus between the Veteran's left knee condition and his military service.

The Board remands the claims for an initial evaluation higher than 10 percent for left knee osteoarthritis with limitation of flexion and an initial compensable evaluation for left knee osteoarthritis with limitation of extension due to a lack of compliance with previous remand instructions.

The Board remands the case for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's left knee disability and an extraschedular referral for TDIU based on his service-connected left knee alone.

The Board remands the claims for a new examination to properly assess the Veteran's right knee disabilities, including during flare-ups.

The Veteran was granted a 100 percent disability rating for his right knee status post total knee replacement from July 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024, but an increased rating on and after January 31, 2024 is not warranted.

The Board remands the claim for a right knee disability to obtain an addendum medical opinion, as there is a duty to assist error in failing to get an appropriate medical opinion.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, sleep disturbances, right shoulder disability, back disability, groin disability, bilateral foot condition, and bilateral knee disabilities, to correct pre-decisional errors in the VA examinations.

The Board remands the claim for a new VA examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected left knee chondromalacia, as the previous examination did not comply with the requirements in Correia v. McDonald.

The appeal of service connection for left knee injury was dismissed because the July 2022 rating decision did not adjudicate this claim, and no response was received within 60 days of a clarification letter.

The Board denied increased disability ratings for right and left knee instability and arthritis, as the evidence did not support a finding of more intense instability or arthritis that could meet the definition of moderate or severe.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, obesity, and multiple nerve and skin disorders, as well as denied initial compensable ratings for several disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for left knee tendonitis, meniscal tear with instability, and patellofemoral pain syndrome as well as status post right total knee replacement (previously rated as right knee tendonitis, meniscal tear with instability and patellofemoral pain syndrome), finding a causal relationship between the Veteran's current bilateral knee conditions and military service.

The Board denied service connection for right and left knee conditions, as well as an initial increased rating for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board denied service connection for asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), hypertension, right knee strain, and left knee strain as there is no evidence of a current disability or a relationship to an in-service injury, event, or disease.