Knee decisions — 2010

The Board has ordered a remand due to insufficient evidence regarding the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected prostate cancer and its residuals. The issue of entitlement to service connection for arthritis of the right knee is not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be etiologically related to in-service noise exposure, and service connection for this condition is granted. The issue of an increased evaluation for the left knee disability remains pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus and a left knee disorder, finding no competent or credible evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and low back disability has been remanded for further action.,The Veteran's PTSD rating remains at 70 percent, but his claims for other disabilities are being reviewed.,Service connection for hypertension is secondary to PTSD. The issue of service connection for the left knee and skin condition will be addressed as well.,The Veteran's left knee disability and skin condition need further examination to determine their etiology.,The Veteran's claim for a skin condition (pseudofolliculitis barbae) is being remanded.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeals.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding the relationship between his service-connected right foot fracture residuals and his claimed disabilities of the feet, knees, hips, and lumbar spine.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, left shoulder condition, right knee disorder, and cervical spine condition. However, it finds that there is insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the Veteran's current tinnitus and his in-service noise exposure or any other incident of service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disability. The Veteran is entitled to service connection for his right knee disability as it was aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of her service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board finds that an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's left shoulder disability, for the period from May 17, 2005 to November 15, 2007, is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral ankle and knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for a VA examination, as well as the need to obtain additional medical records.

The Veteran's left knee disorder is being remanded for further examination and determination of whether it was aggravated during service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities are each manifested by pain, noncompensable limitation of flexion, normal extension, and subjective complaints of giving way and falling. The criteria for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent have not been met.

The Board has denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that no new and material evidence has been received to relate the current disability to service.

The Board is remanding the issues of service connection for a low back disorder and a right knee disorder due to inadequate opinions in the January 2006 VA examination report. The Veteran needs to provide information about his private treatment, and VA should obtain any outstanding records.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as his service-connected left knee disorder does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent, and he did not establish service connection for any other claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for his service-connected left knee patellofemoral syndrome, reduced extension of the left knee, and chronic right knee strain were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim and thus, new and material evidence has not been received. As a result, the appeal is denied.