Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and TBI have been granted service connection. Service connection for left ear hearing loss, headache disorder, lumbar spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, right shoulder disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder has been denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability and basic eligibility for Dependents' and Educational Assistance benefits prior to March 9, 2022. The AOJ is directed to consider these claims under the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) for extraschedular TDIU.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left ankle strain, left knee strain, and lumbosacral strain due to a duty to assist error that occurred prior to the February 2021 rating decision on appeal. The VA is required to obtain medical opinions as to whether these disabilities are related to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral foot claw toe condition due to a lack of evidence showing that the disability began during service and is related to an in-service injury or disease.,The Board has remanded the claims for left knee, lower back, neck, and right elbow conditions for further development.

The Board has remanded the issues of earlier effective date for left knee scars, rating higher than 20 percent for lumbar spine degenerative joint disease since March 26, 2012, and entitlement to a rating in excess of 20 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board finds that service connection is warranted for a right lung granuloma, as the evidence is at least in relative equipoise that it had its onset during active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee strain, finding that the condition started during service and continued after discharge.

The Veteran's right knee condition, diagnosed as meniscal tear, is granted service connection. Service connection for the left knee condition remains pending and will be remanded.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's bilateral knee and shoulder disabilities, as well as his right arm disability, are related to service. However, due to a duty to assist error, the case is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of right shoulder sprain and right knee Osgood-Schlatter's disease were denied as there was no evidence indicating the conditions had worsened prior to April 23, 2019.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral ankle disabilities, right elbow disability, and right knee disability are found to have caused or aggravated his obesity, which in turn resulted in his obstructive sleep apnea. As such, the Board grants service connection for obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been submitted to re-adjudicate the claims for service connection for various disabilities. The claims are now remanded for further review.

The Board has determined that the October 2018 rating decision implicitly denied service connection for a right knee disability. The Veteran's claim was related to his multiple joint pain, which included right knee joint pain. The positive August 2018 nexus between the current right knee strain and in-service PT full combat load training was sufficient to grant service connection for the left knee disability. Therefore, the Board finds that there was CUE in denying service connection for a right knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied, and the effective date for the award of service connection for PFB was denied.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left knee and left hand disabilities due to incomplete VA examinations, which did not provide opinions on the nature and etiology of these conditions. The Veteran will need additional VA medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to various disabilities, including GERD and several musculoskeletal conditions. The initial rating for GERD was denied due to the lack of symptoms meeting a higher rating criteria. Other claims are remanded as there is insufficient information regarding the Veteran's service-connected periods.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for all other claimed disabilities. The Veteran's tinnitus is presumed related to his military service due to in-service noise exposure. However, the low back disability and other conditions are not shown to be related to his active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examinations and duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's psychiatric, sleep apnea, migraine headaches, and right knee disabilities are being reviewed again with new medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including increased ratings for various knee and wrist disorders. The AOJ is instructed to consider any Social Security Administration disability benefits records in their review of these claims.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of left knee strain with arthritis status post partial ACL tear is denied. The Board also granted a separate disability rating of 10 percent for instability of the left knee.