Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's sleep apnea is related to her service-connected left hip condition and left knee condition, with obesity as an intermediate step. The Board granted the claim for secondary service connection.

The appellant's claim for VA home loan guaranty benefits is denied because he did not serve long enough or due to a pre-existing condition that was not aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to incomplete medical records and duty to assist errors.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection due to new and relevant evidence. The claims are now remanded for further development, including obtaining STRs, scheduling a VA examination for hypertension, left leg condition, left knee condition, bilateral foot disability, and sleep apnea, and providing an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability does not meet the criteria for service connection as defined by VA regulations.,Regarding type II diabetes mellitus, there is no evidence of its presence within one year after separation from service and continuity of symptomatology is not established.

The Board has restored the Veteran's 10 percent rating for his painful scar, left knee from February 10, 2020. The reduction in rating was found to be void ab initio due to lack of proper findings and a higher rating is not warranted.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability and denied entitlement to an increased rating for a right foot stress fracture with arthritis.,There is no current evidence of a right knee disability, and the Veteran's claimed right foot condition does not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Board has denied service connection for left hip, knee, clavicle/shoulder, arm, and sacroiliac/pelvic disabilities as secondary to a service-connected disability.,There is no probative evidence showing the Veteran has any of these conditions.

The appeal challenging the timeliness of the January 10, 2020 HLR request is dismissed as moot. The earlier effective date claims for left knee instability and left knee scar are not before the Board.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a right knee total knee replacement and a left knee disability, including a meniscal tear and arthritis, as secondary to the service-connected shell fragment wounds to the Veteran's knees.

The Veteran's left knee disability is granted as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability. His cephalgia rating remains at 30 percent, and the issue of fatigue (CFS) is remanded.

Your appeal has been dismissed because the VA letter informing you to file your claims on the proper form is not considered a decision that can be appealed.

The Veteran's application for Legacy S-DVI insurance was denied because it was not received within two years of the most recent grant of service connection for a disability rated at 10 percent or more. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the basic eligibility requirements for Legacy S-DVI under 38 U.S.C. § 1922(a).

The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine disability. The claims of service connection for left shoulder, right knee, and skin cancer disabilities are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's right knee strain was granted an increased rating of 30 percent effective November 30, 2017. The Board found that the Veteran had been entitled to this rating since at least November 30, 2017.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of these claims.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than March 12, 2020 for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) was denied. The Board found that no portion of the increase in his service-connected disabilities occurred within one year prior to the date of his claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and need for further evaluation of the Veteran's right knee conditions, including their relationship to service and any service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's right knee condition. The case will be reviewed again with a new examination and opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected chondromalacia patella of the left knee, finding that obesity, a result of his service-connected knee disorder, was a substantial factor in causing his OSA.