Knee decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not require aid and attendance of another person, as his need for assistance is primarily due to his seizure disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's increased disability rating claim for his service-connected left knee disability and his TDIU claim due to lack of evidence showing he was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran seeks service connection for right and left knee disabilities, to include as secondary to his service-connected bony fragment of the right tibia. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for a right hip disorder, including as secondary to his service-connected right knee and right ankle disabilities. The decision also grants service connection for left hip greater trochanteric bursitis, left knee chondromalacia with patellar realignment, and left ankle disorder.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining relevant private clinical records and ensuring all necessary evidence is associated with the claims file.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and Social Security Administration (SSA) records. The Veteran's claim is being considered on whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen his service connection claim for a left knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected knee disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from sudden cardiac arrest. The VA reviewer concluded that the Veteran's PTSD was not a primary cause of death, and other medical conditions were more likely contributing factors.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to a request for a personal hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board). The case will be returned to the RO/AMC after the requested hearing.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a left knee disability, hearing loss, and COPD due to lack of evidence of current disabilities. The claim for service connection for a left knee injury was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection of left knee, right hip, and left hip disabilities. As a result, the Board does not have jurisdiction to consider these matters.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to obtain additional medical records, address the issues of service connection for stomach and left lower extremity disorders as secondary to service-connected disabilities, and provide a VA examination to assess his employability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis in joints other than the right knee, claimed as cervical spine and left hip disability. The propriety of reducing his VA benefits to 10 percent rate due to incarceration was also denied. The increased rating claims were not addressed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent her from engaging in gainful employment prior to May 31, 2007.

The Veteran's asthma and left knee disability are found to be service-connected based on direct evidence of their onset during active duty.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of the Veteran's TDIU claim under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b). The case should be referred to the Director, Compensation and Pension Service for a written decision.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an addendum to a VA examination report and addressing whether any knee disorder is related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee strains do not meet the criteria for an initial compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of any current right knee disability, including a Segond fracture. The Veteran's claim is also incomplete as VA did not obtain all relevant private treatment records from San Antonio Orthopaedic Group.