Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for tinnitus is denied as the disability is already rated at its maximum.,Service connection for heart disability, left foot disability, right foot disability, lower back disability, gallbladder disability, left knee disability, left hip disability, and lower left leg disability are remanded due to errors in VA's pre-decisional duty to assist.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for lumbar spine and right knee disorders were dismissed as the appeal was not timely filed.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of various muscle disabilities have been granted, with initial disability ratings ranging from 20 to 30 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for a lower back disability, right knee disability, and right hip disability due to missing service treatment records. The Veteran's claims are being remanded for VA examinations to determine the nature and cause of his disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability, right shin splint disability, and left shin splint disability. The evidence did not support the Veteran's claims that his current disabilities were related to service.,There was no credible in-service injury or event related to the right knee, and there is no medical evidence of chronicity of care for a right knee disability from 2005 through May 2015.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding asthma and bilateral knee disabilities. The issues of entitlement to service connection for allergy condition, insomnia, hypertension, skin problems with unexplained rashes, asthma, right knee arthritis secondary to asthma, and left knee arthritis secondary to asthma are all being reviewed.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right and left knee strain with arthritis secondary to pes planus due to conflicting medical opinions regarding obesity as an intermediate step in the causation.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error and remands the cases for further examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee conditions, finding that there is no medical evidence establishing a nexus between her current knee disabilities and her military service.

The Board has determined that the claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a left hand disorder, a right hand disorder, a low back disorder, a left knee disorder, and a right knee disorder, as well as migraine headaches, must be remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The Veteran's specific disability pictures will need to be evaluated by VA examiners.

The Veteran's claim for an extension of a temporary 100 percent rating under 38 C.F.R. § 4.30 based on surgical or other treatment necessitating convalescence for his left knee total replacement after July 31, 2021 is remanded due to the failure to obtain VA treatment records related to physical therapy and home care.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for dizziness/vertigo and bilateral knee pain, finding no current disability of these conditions and insufficient evidence to establish a link between them and his military service.

The Board has determined that there are missing service treatment records and the AOJ should make further attempts to locate these records. The issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions have been remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis (OA) due to the Veteran's chronic symptoms during and after service, finding that reasonable doubt should be resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted with an effective date of April 12, 2021. The Board finds that the combined effects of his service-connected right knee disability and PTSD with MDD prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error, requiring a VA examination and medical opinion for the Veteran's right knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal for SMC at the intermediate rate was granted, with two half-steps awarded due to service-connected depressive disorder and obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran is already entitled to a full step (SMC-L) based on his need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are found to have started during service and granted service connection.,There is no evidence of sleep apnea or related disability, and the claim for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's left knee instability, including recurrent subluxation and patellar tracking disorder, is rated at 20 percent from March 23, 2017.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service. The Veteran is asked to undergo VA examinations to determine if he has left knee, lumbar spine, or lower extremity disorders, and whether these conditions are related to his service.