Knee decisions — 2012

The Veteran's service-connected fractured left femur with associated hip and knee disabilities have been evaluated at a 20 percent rating for the entire appeal period. The evidence does not support an increase in evaluation beyond this level.

The Board has remanded the case for further consideration, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing at the North Little Rock, Arkansas RO.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right knee disability, including arthritis, is not related to service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a Travel Board hearing. The issues of increased rating for left knee arthrotomy and initial rating in excess of 10 percent for osteoarthritis, left knee are not ready for appellate review.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for residuals of a shell fragment wound of the left thigh before July 3, 1997 was denied by the Board. The evidence showed that the injury involved Muscle Group XIII and Muscle Group XIV in the same anatomical region affecting the left knee joint.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for further development due to missing service treatment records and the need for a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and readjudication due to conflicting evidence regarding the appellant's in-service right knee injury and the need to obtain relevant medical records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's appeal to obtain additional development, including a new VA examination and private medical records. The Veteran seeks service connection for his bilateral knee disability, which he claims is related to his active service.

The Veteran's current left knee disability is not shown to be due to his service, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and requesting a medical opinion from the November 2010 VA examiner or another provider to determine if the Veteran's current hip and knee disabilities are related to his service or service-connected left ankle and/or left knee disabilities.

The Veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions that were incurred or aggravated by service, and arthritis is not presumed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's anxiety disorder is causally related to service, but his bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and bilateral thumb disorder are not due to service.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have right or left knee disabilities that are attributable to his active military service. The VA examiner concluded that the current knee disabilities were more likely due to participation in karate since 1984, rather than any injury during service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development, including obtaining SSA records and a VA examination. The appeal is currently pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for psychiatric disability, bilateral knee disability, and skin disability. The Veteran did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric condition. For his bilateral knee disability, there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease leading to current symptoms.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of any lumbosacral spine, left knee, and right shoulder disabilities. The Veteran will be scheduled for VA examinations to address these issues.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to allow for further development of the record, including obtaining VA examination reports and medical records.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) for loss of use of the feet was denied as he did not meet the criteria for SMC due to his service-connected disabilities, including bilateral knee arthritis and peripheral neuropathy.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to clarify the severity of his service-connected low back disability and to determine if his left knee OA and right ankle disability are secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim will also be addressed.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disorder due to new evidence received since the February 1999 denial. The issue of whether this condition is related to service will be addressed in further proceedings.