Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as he does not have a current disability. The claims for tinnitus, headaches, left knee pain, right knee pain, irritable bowel syndrome, left shoulder pain, right shoulder pain, left ankle pain, left hand arthritis, right hand arthritis, numbness in the legs and feet, foot pain/plantar fasciitis/heel spurs, lumbago/back pain, neck pain have all been remanded for further examination.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for higher initial ratings for his service-connected back condition, headaches, PTSD, bilateral knee conditions, and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hip, left hip, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The AOJ is required to attempt to obtain complete service department records, including military personnel records from both active duty and Reserve service. Additionally, a VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any current left and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including back, knee, foot, and hip conditions, are found to preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment. As a result, the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for neck and right knee disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to verify his Reserve service dates.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's headache syndrome, right knee condition, rhinitis, right shoulder condition, and lumbar spine condition. The conditions are deemed to be directly related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not result in an inability to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to May 9, 2020. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of unemployability due solely to his service-connected conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grants because her service-connected conditions do not meet the eligibility criteria under VA regulations.

The Board has granted service connection for back, neck, left knee, and right knee disabilities as well as an acquired psychiatric disorder. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service job duties and symptoms that have persisted post-service.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates and increased ratings for his service-connected right knee degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine disability, and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity sciatic branch. The issues were addressed in a prior decision that is final.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee conditions due to a duty to assist error. The AOJ must obtain an opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's knee disabilities from an appropriately qualified examiner.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on multiple conditions has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to lack of factual ascertainability that the Veteran was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful occupation prior to July 29, 2013.

The Board has restored the initially assigned 20 percent evaluations for left and right knee degenerative joint disease, finding that the Veteran's condition did not show actual improvement during the period at issue.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed left knee, right knee, and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy disabilities are not service-connected as they were either not incurred or caused by his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee condition due to inadequate medical opinion and duty to assist error.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeals regarding the service connection claims for degenerative disk disease, lumbar spine with spondylosis and L5 spondylolisthesis and degenerative joint disease, right knee. The appeal is dismissed as a result.

The Veteran withdrew her appeals regarding the ratings for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and right knee strain, thus these issues are dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left knee disabilities is being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors, including inadequate examination findings and the need for flare-up assessments.