Knee Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, and left knee disability due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions began during service or are related to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee conditions due to inadequate VA examination and opinion.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the reduction of his right knee disability rating from 40% to 10% in November 2020, leaving no issues for further consideration.

The Veteran's claims for left and right knee instability, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and back condition were denied. The Board found no earlier effective date prior to May 21, 2019, for these conditions as the evidence did not show entitlement arose before that date.,For left and right knee strain with chondromalacia, a rating of 20 percent was granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a total right shoulder replacement and bilateral inguinal hernias with associated scarring, have rendered him unemployable from September 18, 2009 to February 28, 2013. The Board has remanded the case for referral to the Director of Compensation Services for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection effective July 12, 2016. His right and left knee disabilities were also granted service connection effective January 3, 2019.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to a withdrawal request from the appellant's authorized representative.

The Veteran's chronic headaches, cervical spine disability (neck), left upper extremity radiculopathy and paresthesia, left knee disability, and right knee disability are all found to have onset during service. The Board has granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for which service connection can be granted, specifically left ear hearing loss. The issues of service connection for left knee and ankle disabilities are remanded due to inadequate nexus opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for major depressive disorder and associated left knee disability was denied, with the effective date set at October 29, 2020.

Service connection for asthma is granted. Service connection for memory loss disorder is denied. Entitlement to service connection for left elbow, thoracolumbar spine, right hip, and bilateral knee disorders is remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, finding that his obesity caused by these disabilities is a substantial factor in causing his OSA.

The Board dismissed the appeal for entitlement to service connection for a lower lumbar condition due to a deferred decision. The right knee and acquired psychiatric disorder (including anxiety, short-term memory loss) issues are remanded.

The Veteran's right knee chondromalacia, status post meniscectomy was granted a 10 percent rating in September 1972. The Board found no CUE and denied the request for revision of this decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to a duty to assist error and the need to adjudicate secondary service connection for ankle disabilities. The AOJ is instructed to ensure all VA treatment records have been associated with the claims file, and then to adjudicate the secondary service connection claim.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his right and left knee conditions, as well as his posttraumatic stress disorder with somatic symptom disorder, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to procedural errors and the need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's right knee condition.

The Board has granted service connection for rhinitis and sinusitis, low back stiffness, left hip condition, neck injury, and bilateral knee disability. The evidence is nearly balanced as to whether these conditions had their onset during the Veteran's active duty.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The AOJ is instructed to schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral knee disorders, and to consider referral for extraschedular TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection. The claims for anxiety disorder, left knee strain, right knee strain, and lumbosacral strain are remanded.