Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for arthritis, right knee; lower back condition; right rib condition; and obstructive sleep apnea due to duty-to-assist errors. The AOJ is required to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability evaluations and service connection were dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeals during a hearing. The Veteran was granted service connection for insomnia disorder from December 18, 2015, and sleep apnea secondary to his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for a back condition but has remanded the issue of secondary service connection for a right knee condition due to potential aggravation by the service-connected back condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left hip pain and increased ratings for right and left knee disabilities. The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities is denied as her flexion does not reach a level that would warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's left knee joint osteoarthritis with patellofemoral pain syndrome, chondromalacia and limitation of extension is rated at 10 percent. The Veteran was granted a rating for his left knee joint osteoarthritis with patellofemoral pain syndrome, chondromalacia and limitation of flexion but denied an increased rating.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for left knee meniscal tear with osteoarthritis is remanded due to the inadequacy of the December 2020 VA examination, which did not include estimated range of motion measurements considering functional loss.

The Board has remanded the case due to errors in duty to assist, and requests additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's left ankle disorder, right knee disorder, and left heel disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, right and left knee disability, bilateral foot disability, and TDIU due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The claim for service connection for a low back disability is granted.,The claims for service connection for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome are also granted.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral pes planus, skin rash, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, right knee strain, and left knee strain have all been denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions in the record.

The Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy of the femoral nerve and sciatic nerve is granted with initial evaluations of 30% and 40%, respectively. The left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve remains denied.

The Board has granted service connection for OSA on a secondary basis to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The claims of entitlement to service connection for back and right knee disabilities are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

An initial disability rating of 40 percent, but no more, for a back disability effective September 2, 2018 is granted.,An initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for a left shoulder disability is denied.

The Veteran's right knee meniscal tear with osteoarthritis rating was restored to 40%, and an effective date of July 26, 2013, for SMC based on need for aid and attendance was granted. The intermediate rate SMC effective date also aligns with this date.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the left leg, including residuals of a laceration to her left knee. The VA examiner found that there is not a nexus between the claimed in-service event or injury and the current disability.

The Veteran's PTSD and tinnitus are granted service connection, while anxiety is denied. The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome do not meet the criteria for service connection.,Service connection for left elbow tendinitis is remanded due to lack of evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected right nostril collapse is denied as the evidence does not show a current disability. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and right knee disability are both rated at 10 percent, with no higher ratings being warranted.

The Veteran's left and right knee disabilities were denied increased ratings, with the exception of a remanded issue regarding his right shoulder disability.,The Veteran's right shoulder acromioclavicular arthropathy was also denied an increased rating.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because the Board Appeal request was not timely filed within one year of the rating decision, and good cause for an extension was not shown.