Knee decisions — 2011

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the Veteran's current functional and occupational capacity due to his service-connected disabilities. The case will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Veteran's service-connected post-traumatic arthritis of the right knee with shortening of the right lower leg prevents him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral lower extremities disorder is not related to service or a service-connected disability, and thus denied her claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for DJD of the left knee as secondary to his service-connected internal derangement, lateral meniscus tear, left knee. The Veteran's current evaluation remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluation and service connection are being remanded to the RO for additional development.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee arthritis is not related to his service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 60 percent, effective February 1, 2004.,For the cervical spine disability, a separate 10 percent rating was granted for degenerative disc disease and a 20 percent rating for radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, both effective February 25, 2008.

The Board has denied all claims for higher ratings for the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities on an extraschedular basis, finding that the schedular criteria adequately address his disability picture.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for a left knee disability, which was previously denied in June 1991.

The Veteran's right knee instability and limitation of extension are rated at 30 percent, effective September 21, 2010. The Veteran is not entitled to increased ratings for these conditions prior to that date.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (right total knee replacement residuals, left total knee replacement residuals, right hip trochanteric bursitis, and left hip trochanteric bursitis) are of such severity as to render him unemployable without regard to his age or any nonservice-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, hip, and tailbone disorders are being remanded due to incomplete development. The VA is required to ensure that all VCAA notice obligations are satisfied in accordance with the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 (VCAA).

The Veteran's right knee degenerative joint disease and instability have been rated at the maximum available under VA regulations, with no further increase in rating possible.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left knee with calcification of the patellar ligament and low back strain with spondylolisthesis and spondylolysis at L5-S1 were denied as these conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's left hip and lumbar spine disabilities are granted as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.,A new VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's right hip disability is related to any of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining SSA records.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to verify the Veteran's periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty training (INACDUTRA). The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee and leg disabilities are remanded for a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule him for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed right foot, right knee, and bilateral leg disorder.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been withdrawn. The Board has dismissed the claims of service connection for right hip disorder and left hip disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any right knee disorder found and whether his fatigue constitutes chronic fatigue syndrome.