Knee decisions — 2013

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The left knee ganglion cyst is rated at 10 percent, with no additional compensable rating for extension or instability. Service connection has not been established for the claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability and her right knee pain is not related to service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including the retrieval of recent outpatient records and authorization to obtain private treatment records. The TDIU claim will also be reconsidered.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to a failure to provide the Veteran's representative with a copy of the March 2013 Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, as well as attempting to obtain SSA records. The Veteran will be provided an opportunity to respond after the development is completed.

The Board found that the Veteran's account of a right knee injury in service and subsequent disability is not credible, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's stated vocational goal of concrete sales was not reasonably feasible due to his service-connected and nonservice-connected disabilities, including a severe brain injury from a motor vehicle accident. The VRC concluded that achieving this goal would be unreasonable given his current medical condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to include obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for examinations to determine if his current disabilities are related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone are not of such severity as to render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability is causally related to service, and grants his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his patellar chondromalacia of the left knee was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to April 9, 2012 and from April 9, 2012.

The Veteran's left knee chondromalacia patella and arthritis have been rated at a 10% disability level since February 22, 2006.

The Veteran's left knee strain has been rated at 10 percent since February 27, 2002. The Board finds that the current evidence does not support an increase in evaluation beyond this level.

The Board found that arthritis of multiple joints and a lumbar spine disability were not incurred in service, presumed to be related to service, or proximately due to or the result of any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claim for a right knee disability was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability and the Board finds that his reported symptoms are not related to service.

The Board granted a 30 percent rating for the Veteran's right total knee arthroplasty, finding that his symptoms did not warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right and left knee disorders are not related to service or a service-connected disability, thus denying service connection for these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for a right lower extremity disorder (claimed as a right leg disorder) secondary to the service-connected lumbosacral degenerative disc disease. The claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for left knee degenerative joint disease remains denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee disorder is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee disability, characterized by chondromalacia patella with degenerative changes, is currently rated at 10 percent for the entire increased rating period. For the period from January 11, 2013, he is entitled to a noncompensable (0 percent) rating for limitation of extension of his right knee.