Knee decisions — 2011

The Veteran's left knee disability, post-total knee arthroplasty, does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent.

The Veteran's right knee instability prior to May 4, 2006 was rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and lumbar spine disabilities were denied because he failed to appear for a scheduled VA examination without good cause, which is necessary to establish these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a right knee disability that is related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current left knee disability is likely due to his service-connected right knee disability, and grants service connection for this condition on a secondary basis. The low back disorder issue remains pending as there are no clear findings or evidence provided in the decision.

Service connection for a left knee disorder, bilateral pes planus, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus is denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred during military service.,The VA examinations did not find any medical relationship between the Veteran's current diagnoses and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his left knee disabilities were denied. The RO assigned separate noncompensable evaluations for each disability effective from October 1, 2005.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeals for service connection for right knee and low back disorders, both secondary to his service-connected left knee disability, have been timely perfected. The acquired psychiatric disorder claim is also considered timely.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his military service, specifically exposure to excessive noise. His claims for other conditions are denied as there is no evidence of current disability or a link to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a left knee disability or residuals of a chest wall injury that is related to service. The appeal for these claims is denied.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claim for an increased disability rating for scars of the right mid back of neck. The Board is unable to readjudicate the remaining claims as it lacks jurisdiction over them.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected right knee and ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal of the claims for service connection for a left eye stye and right ankle strain has been withdrawn. The remaining service connection claims are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee dislocation and arthritis have been granted increased ratings, with the right patella rated at 20 percent disabling and the arthritis rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA medical examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed bilateral heel stress fractures and related disabilities.

The Veteran's left knee disorder is currently evaluated as 20 percent disabling due to painful motion and X-ray evidence of arthritis. The preponderance of the competent and credible evidence does not support a higher rating based on instability or limitation of motion.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a right knee disability, including osteoarthritis. The claim is being remanded to verify the dates of active duty for training and inactive duty for training (ACDUTRA/INACDUTRA) and to obtain a VA examination to determine if any current right knee disability had its clinical onset during ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA, or is the result of an in-service disease or injury.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a lumbar spine disability, arthritis of the left knee and hands, hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD), sleep apnea, and gastrointestinal disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her left knee and shoulder disabilities have been granted, with a combined rating of 60 percent. The TDIU claim is pending.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, addictive behavior, and depression. The Veteran's current conditions are not considered to be related to his military service.