Knee — all decisions

The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for OSA and denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome. The remaining issues were remanded for further development.

The Board granted an effective date of May 15, 2013, but no earlier, for the award of service connection for right knee limitation of extension and denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee DJD with limitation of flexion.

The Board granted a 30 percent rating for right knee instability and a 20 percent rating for painful and/or limited motion of the right knee, but denied a higher rating for degenerative arthritis of the right knee.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied increased ratings for sleep apnea, left ankle scar, painful left ankle scar, acquired psychiatric disability (major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder), left foot metatarsalgia, and right knee limitation of flexion. The Board granted a 20 percent rating for left foot neuropathy and 20 percent rating for right knee limitation of extension.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left and right eye dry eyes, cataracts of the left and right eyes, neuropathy of the left lower extremity, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, left renal arteriovenous malformation, aneurysm, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, recurrent subluxation of the left knee prior to May 13, 2020, left total knee replacement, disability rating in excess of 60 percent from September 1, 2021, forward for left total knee replacement, DJD of the right knee, right knee instability, burns of the bilateral ankles, linear scar of the left knee, post-surgical tender scars of the left knee, and a total disability rating due to unemployability (TDIU) based upon service-connected disabilities prior to June 14, 2019.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a knee condition, shoulder condition, and respiratory condition due to a duty to assist error.

The Board granted a separate rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's right knee meniscus condition, effective April 12, 2024, and denied a reduction in the rating from 10 percent to 0 percent for her right knee disability.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for an unspecified depressive disorder and a rating in excess of 10 percent for patellofemoral syndrome and loose ossified bodies to suprapatellar bursa and to the posterior right knee joint.

The Board denied ratings in excess of 10 percent for left and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome but granted a separate 10 percent rating for left knee instability. The claim for service connection for a back disorder was remanded.

The Board denied service connection for chronic sinusitis, fibromyalgia, and CFS. The Veteran's hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy, shoulder disability, knee meniscal tear, knee limitation of extension, knee scars, GERD, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and PTSD were also not rated higher than their current levels.

The Board granted service connection for a left foot disability and remanded claims for service connection for atrial fibrillation, a left knee disability, and right knee disability.

The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, left and right lower extremity radiculopathies, left and right hip pain, right knee degenerative arthritis, generalized anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder.

The Board granted service connection for status post right total knee arthroplasty, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that it is due to the Veteran's service-connected right ankle disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right lower extremity sciatic radiculopathy and a separate evaluation for left knee instability, finding that the evidence did not support higher evaluations.

The Board remands the matter for additional development, specifically to obtain retrospective opinions regarding the severity of the Veteran's right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome during flareups.

The Board granted a separate rating of 10 percent under Diagnostic Codes 5260 and 5257 for the Veteran's right knee disability, but denied an increased rating in excess of 20 percent under Diagnostic Code 5258.

The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion to clarify whether the Veteran's right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome is a separate condition from his pre-existing meniscal tear and to determine if it was aggravated by service.

The Board denied a rating higher than 20 percent for right knee limitation of motion but granted a separate 10 percent rating, but no higher, for right knee instability.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of a 40 percent rating for left knee instability with osteoarthritis and special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's right shoulder and right ankle disabilities, as well as service connection for various other conditions.