Knee decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities, including whether they are related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled travel Board hearing. His claim for an increased rating for his right knee disability will be processed again after he has had the opportunity for another hearing.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left and right knee disabilities were denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating based on current symptomatology.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of her right knee disorder claims, including obtaining medical records and possibly scheduling an examination.

The Veteran's effective date for a 30% disability rating for residuals of a total left knee replacement is set at July 1, 2010. The Board found that the increase in his disability did not occur prior to this date and thus denied an earlier effective date.

The Board finds that the Veteran's psychiatric disability and left knee disability are related to service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and adjudication due to deficiencies in a previous VA examination. The Veteran's claim of service connection for a right knee disorder is currently before the Board.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee osteoarthritis and chronic low back disorder, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic condition in service or post-service continuity of symptoms.

The Veteran's claimed additional disabilities of the neck, lower back, right knee, and right shoulder are not deemed to be caused by VA carelessness or negligence.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's bilateral knee disorder is related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his claims, including those related to his right knee disorder, left knee disability, left shoulder disability, and migraine headaches.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as he does not have a left ear hearing loss disability and his service-connected left knee, elbow, and cubital tunnel syndromes do not meet the criteria for an initial rating higher than 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee, left ankle, right ankle, and left foot disabilities were denied as the evidence did not show that any of these conditions warranted a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations, compliance with VCAA requirements, and obtaining updated medical records.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a clarification of whether any current right knee disorder is aggravated by service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA vocational rehabilitation records and providing the Veteran with a VA examination to determine his ability to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims for service connection. This includes obtaining medical records, scheduling VA examinations, and determining whether any current disabilities are related to military service.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for additional development, including the provision of a VA examination to assess his ability to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a vascular surgeon's opinion on whether the Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease (CAD) and diagnosed atherosclerosis of the lower extremities constitute a single disease entity. The issues remain about entitlement to service connection for bilateral lower extremity disorders.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, as his combined rating is 40 percent and does not meet the schedular requirements. The Board finds that the Veteran's unemployability is due to a pre-existing work accident rather than his service-connected conditions.