Citation Nr: 21000109 Decision Date: 01/04/21 Archive Date: 01/04/21 DOCKET NO. 17-16 537 DATE: January 4, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disorder is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran had active duty service in the United States Army from August 1988 to April 1992. He testified before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge (VLJ) at a Travel Board hearing in October 2019. A transcript of the hearing is of record. Entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disorder is remanded. In October 2019, the Board remanded the Veteran’s claim to obtain a VA medical opinion addressing the etiology of his bilateral knee disorder. As previously noted, the Veteran’s VA treatment records document diagnoses of bilateral meniscal tear and osteoarthritis. His service treatment records show that he was seen in March 1991 and October 1991 for a left lower leg and right knee injury following a football game. In December 2019, a VA examiner opined that the Veteran’s right knee was less likely than not related to service but did not provide any opinion addressing the etiology of the Veteran’s left knee. The opinion focused on the Veteran’s post-service meniscal tear of the right knee. It did not address the Veteran’s diagnosed osteoarthritis and further did not address the Veteran’s lay statements regarding his knees being painful since service. As such, the VA medical opinion is incomplete, and remand is required. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Contact the Veteran and ask him to submit any potentially relevant and outstanding private treatment records, including any medical opinions obtained, as indicated in his June 2020 statement. 2. Obtain an addendum opinion from the December 2019 VA examiner, or another appropriate clinician, addressing the etiology of the Veteran’s bilateral knee disorder. The need for an in-person examination is left to the discretion of the examiner. After reviewing the entire claims file, the examiner is asked to opine: (a.) Whether the Veteran’s right knee disorder is at least as likely as not related to service; and (b.) Whether the Veteran’s left knee disorder is at least as likely as not related to service. The examiner must provide an opinion addressing the etiology of each diagnosed knee disorder, including the Veteran’s bilateral meniscus tears and osteoarthritis. The examiner must consider the Veteran’s reports regarding the onset of his symptoms. In a June 2020 statement, the Veteran reported that during service, he continued to be treated for tendonitis and inflammation concerns in his knees. In addition, VA treatment records from June 2015 document that the Veteran reported “he first noticed the pain becoming a problem when he was leaving Iraq in 1990. Since 1990, he reported that the pain has spread to his joint areas and that his body aches and it ‘feels like having a flu all the time.’” The examiner is advised that the Veteran is currently service-connected for fibromyalgia. Because fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, an opinion explaining whether the bilateral knee pain the Veteran has experienced since service may be related to his service-connected fibromyalgia, as opposed to a separate bilateral knee disorder, would be of considerable help to the Board. A complete rationale for any medical opinion rendered must be provided. A medical opinion that does not address the Veteran’s lay statements will be returned for further opinion. H.M. WALKER Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board Martha R. Luboch, Counsel The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.