Knee decisions — 2011

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of marked limitation of motion in the left ankle, and thus no higher evaluation was warranted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his blindness and PTSD, are found to have caused or contributed substantially to his death from renal failure due to hypertension.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and an increased rating for her right knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as the RO found that his left knee conditions did not warrant a higher rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of a left knee disability as secondary to a right knee disability due to new and material evidence. The Veteran's current left knee disability is found to be at least partially related to his right knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The claim to reopen his left knee disorder was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination and consideration of the issue of an extraschedular rating.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations of her eyes and joints.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including a statement of the case on service connection for coronary artery disease and an examination to determine his employability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including new VA examinations and consideration of his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 are denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine if his left hip replacement was caused or aggravated by a service-connected right knee injury.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left Achilles tendon disabilities were denied, while his claim for service connection for a left knee disability was granted.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, shoulder disability, and knee disability are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's initial right knee disability rating was granted at 10 percent, effective March 13, 2004. In December 2009, a separate 20 percent evaluation for right knee instability was granted effective January 29, 2009.,For the left knee, an initial noncompensable rating was assigned in August 2004, which was increased to 10 percent for limitation of motion and 10 percent for instability effective January 22, 2009.

The Veteran's claim for a temporary total rating based on surgical treatment of his service-connected left knee degenerative joint disease requiring convalescence was denied as the claim was not received within one year of the surgery.

The Board found that the reduction in rating for residuals of TBI from 80% to 10% was proper. The Veteran's left wrist fracture and right knee disorder were each rated appropriately, with a separate rating granted for arthritis of the right knee.

The Board has granted service connection for right and left knee disabilities, but the claims are still pending as they were not fully adjudicated.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a left knee injury and glaucoma, finding no credible evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran claims that his right knee disability is due to VA medical treatment in November 1986, which he alleges was inadequate and led to additional disability requiring surgery in June 1988. The Board has interpreted the claim as alleging that it was the 1986 treatment alone by VA that caused his current right knee disabilities.