Knee decisions — 2011

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee, left knee, and bilateral foot disabilities are not related to his active duty service.,Therefore, he is not entitled to service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development and adjudication, including obtaining updated medical evaluations and opinions regarding his ability to engage in the profession of massage therapy.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating, service connection, and temporary total disability rating were denied. The left knee disorder is currently rated as 30 percent disabling.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for bronchial asthma, a left knee disorder, and right wrist and sinusitis disabilities. The decision also addressed her TDIU claim.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for dysthymic disorder, hypertension secondary to medications provided for her right knee disability, increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities, and service connection for a surgical scar on her left knee. The claim for TDIU is also denied.

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

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and iliotibial band friction syndrome, left knee as there was no evidence of current disabilities meeting VA criteria.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee disability, post-total replacement surgery, is currently rated at 60 percent based on chronic residuals with severe painful motion or weakness.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's left knee and lumbar spine disorders are aggravated by his service-connected residuals of shrapnel wound to the left ankle.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), a dental condition, and a bilateral eye disorder. The remaining claims were also denied.

The Board has remanded the issue of whether a separate rating is warranted for additional right knee symptoms, as this claim requires further development. The issues of service connection for left knee disability and buttock/hip pain are not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability, to include arthritis and status post total knee arthroplasty, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain. The effective date remains pending.

The Veteran's hearing loss, knee and hip disabilities were not shown to be incurred or aggravated by his military service. The Board found that the pre-existing conditions did not increase in severity during service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a new examination to assess the current nature and severity of his right knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and reopening of a previously denied claim were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating his service connection claim, as it did not establish a current left knee disorder.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected disabilities have been denied. The left shoulder disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, while the other conditions remain noncompensably disabling.

The Veteran's right knee instability and arthritis, as well as his left knee degenerative arthritis with instability, are rated at 20 percent each.

The Veteran's service-connected patellofemoral syndrome of the right and left knees have been rated at 10 percent each, based on limitation of motion. The VA examiner found no additional functional loss or impairment during flare-ups.