Knee decisions — 2013

The Veteran's right knee disability has been rated as 10 percent disabling due to painful motion, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on limitation of motion or instability. The Board finds no basis for an increased rating.

The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis is being remanded for further examination and opinion to determine if it is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left knee and low back disabilities are not related to his military service or a service-connected right knee disability. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current psychiatric disorder, right knee disorder, or cervical spine disorder that is service-connected. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service disease or injury for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for referral to the appropriate VA officials under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) for extraschedular consideration for TDIU due to his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including hypertension, degenerative arthritis in both knees, traumatic arthritis in the elbow, pes planus, chronic low back strain, and chronic sinusitis, contributed to his death from an overdose of propoxyphene. The Board finds that these conditions were directly related to the cause of death.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral foot and knee disorders, finding that the current conditions are not related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have current bilateral knee disabilities related to active service and denied his claims for service connection. The evidence showed no complaints, symptoms, or diagnoses of knee problems during service, and no continuous symptoms since separation from service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle, left ankle, right knee, and left knee disabilities are denied as these conditions were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and arranging for a VA medical examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records, conduct a VA examination for his left knee disability, and provide an opinion on the possibility of secondary service connection for his right knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected thoracolumbar spine, right hip, left hip, left knee, and right ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of claims, including a TDIU claim.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left knee disability was denied, but he is now receiving a separate 10% rating for degenerative joint disease of the left knee. The primary issue remains unresolved.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral ankle and knee disabilities did not have their onset during active service or within one year thereafter, and are not related to any event in service. The VA examiner opined that these conditions are more likely due to post-service activities such as construction work.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disorder and entitlement to an increased rating for residuals of an arthrotomy of the right knee due to inadequate examination reports and need for additional evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, were denied as there was no evidence of a nexus between the current disabilities and his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed ankle, leg, knee, and hip disorders did not have their onset during service or within one year of service. The VA examiner determined these conditions were less likely as not permanently aggravated by his service-connected lumbosacral strain.

The Veteran's claim is being remanded for further development to determine if his current left knee arthritis is related to service or aggravated by his right knee disability, and whether it can be considered secondary to the service-connected right knee condition.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's low back and left knee disabilities, as these issues were not fully addressed in the previous examinations.