Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's combined rating for service-connected disabilities was not at a 100% level before October 11, 2019. The Board denied her request for an earlier effective date.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and therefore, a new examination is needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's right knee meniscectomy residuals.

The Board dismissed the appeals of three issues related to service connection for liver cancer, lung cancer, and a right knee strain due to the appellant's death.

The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion to address whether the Veteran's bilateral knee disorder is related to an incident of service, specifically a reported in-service fall causing bilateral knee pain.

The Board denied increased disability ratings for the right knee arthroplasty and right TKR, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating in either case.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including total replacement and flexion/extension limitations, is granted with a 60% rating effective April 1, 2020. Service connection for left knee osteoarthritis is also granted.

The Board has denied service connection for the Veteran's left knee disability and has remanded the cases of his right hip and left hip disabilities due to insufficient evidence.

An effective date of June 18, 2018, but no earlier, for the grant of a 50 percent rating for migraine headaches is granted. Ratings in excess of 10 percent prior to March 4, 2020, for left and right knee disorders are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him so incapable of performing the activities of daily living that he requires care or assistance on a regular basis to protect him from hazards or dangers incident to his daily environment. The Board has granted SMC based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection and a rating of 10% for her right knee disorder, but the claim for a higher rating remains pending.

The Veteran's claim to prevent the reduction of his left knee disability rating from 60% to 50% is dismissed.,The Veteran's low back disability is denied as not meeting the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to an impermissible concurrent election of review options.

The Veteran's claims for left shoulder strain, left knee strain, and right knee strain were denied in January 2000. The Board granted service connection on May 2020 based on the presumption of chronic diseases within one year of separation from service. The AOJ continued the evaluations without addressing the CUE claim.

The Veteran's chronic cough is related to service and granted.,The Veteran's right knee condition did not manifest during or within one year after service, and denied.,The Veteran's right shoulder condition was remanded due to inadequate VA medical opinion.,The Veteran's heart condition/stroke were remanded due to inadequate VA medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee conditions, as well as his acquired psychiatric disability. The AOJ did not provide a VA examination or opinion in these cases prior to making its decisions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder and right knee conditions due to insufficient evidence in the record, including a lack of STRs and private treatment records. The VA examiner will be asked to provide opinions on whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran is granted a 20 percent disability rating for his right knee meniscal tear and degenerative arthritis from June 27, 2016 to October 30, 2019.,The Veteran's increased rating claim for the right knee disability from October 31, 2019 is denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the ratings for left knee conditions and back pain, leaving no issues to be decided by the Board.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the Veteran's service connection claims due to a failure to file proper appeal forms within one year of final denial.

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy are granted as secondary to his service-connected thoracolumbar spine disorder. The issues of service connection for seizure disorder, headache disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, right upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral flatfoot remain pending.