Knee decisions — 2013

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal seeking increased initial ratings for his service-connected right shoulder, left knee and right carpal tunnel syndrome disabilities.

The Board finds that the Veteran's left knee disability is not service-connected, as it does not meet the criteria for direct service connection and there is no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and his in-service right knee injury.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine and left lower extremity disabilities, including his left knee disability, are not related to service. The VA examiners concluded that these conditions were not caused or aggravated by a heel injury sustained in service.

The Board denied the claims for reopening of service connection for right and left knee disorders, cervical spine disorder, low back disorder, bilateral hip disorder, radiculopathy of upper extremities, neuropathy of lower extremities, and psychiatric disorder due to lack of evidence establishing a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and a new VA examination of his right knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have PTSD and his other diagnosed psychiatric disabilities are not shown to be etiologically related to service. The claims for right knee disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, hypertension, and bilateral leg cramps were withdrawn by the Veteran during a hearing before the Board. Service connection is denied for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, and a mood disorder), right lower extremity disability, left lower extremity disability, low back disability, right knee disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, hypertension, and bilateral leg cramps.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of COPD or any other claimed conditions related to service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has not issued a Statement of the Case on the Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. � 1151 for left knee, right rib, and bilateral shoulder disabilities due to an incomplete remand directive. The case is REMANDED to comply with the previous directives.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for his service-connected knee and low back disabilities were denied by the Board. The appeals are not granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left knee disorder, finding that his current condition is not related to his military service.

The Board has granted an initial noncompensable rating for the Veteran's right knee disability, but has also found that a separate 20 percent rating is warranted under Diagnostic Code 5258 for patellofemoral tracking syndrome with frequent episodes of locking, pain, and joint effusion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current knee and shoulder disabilities are not service-connected.,Medical opinions provided by Drs. Virgil and Harvie did not provide a rationale for their conclusions, making them insufficient to support the determination.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including whether they are related to service or exposure to herbicides.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disorders are causally related to his military service and grants entitlement to service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's claims for higher disability ratings for his service-connected right knee disabilities have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that higher evaluations are warranted at any time during the appeal period.

The Veteran's retropatellar pain syndrome of the left knee is currently rated at 30 percent, and his instability of the left knee is rated at 10 percent. The appeal is mixed as one issue was granted (instability) while another was denied (retropatellar pain syndrome).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back, right elbow, and left knee disabilities are related to his active service.,Service connection is granted for low back disability, right elbow disability, and left knee disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for her left knee internal derangement, finding that it did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Board found that the Veteran's current low back disability and bilateral knee disabilities are related to his service, granting service connection for both conditions.