Knee decisions — 2013

The Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder and left knee injury with ossification of the medial collateral ligament do not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and updated VA examinations to assess the current severity of his service-connected PTSD, bilateral knee strain with arthritis, and lumbar strain.

The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations for his right knee and ankle disabilities were denied. The TDIU claim is still pending.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of a left knee disorder and finds that new evidence submitted since the last final denial supports this claim. The Veteran is now entitled to an evidentiary hearing on his claim.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability and finds that new and material evidence has been received to support this claim. The Veteran underwent arthroscopic surgery in 2006, which resolved his symptoms.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and consideration of his claims including a secondary service connection theory.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims for left knee, left ankle, and left thigh disabilities. The claim of PTSD was reopened based on new evidence showing a diagnosis of PTSD related to military sexual trauma.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee disability is not related to his service, and therefore, denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and medical opinion, as well as the need for updated VA treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a bilateral ankle disorder and his bilateral knee disorder is not related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disability, including his total knee replacement, was not incurred or aggravated by service. The VA examiner opined that it is less likely than not that the right knee total arthroplasty was secondary to an injury in 1965 during parachute training.

The Veteran's claims for higher evaluations for his service-connected knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a compensation and pension examination.

The Veteran's claim for a clothing allowance is denied because the medical professionals certified that her service-connected lumbar and right knee disabilities do not require the use of a prosthetic or orthopedic appliance which tends to wear or tear her clothing.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including verification of periods of active duty and inactive duty training, obtaining Reserve service records, and providing a VA audiological examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of chronic symptoms since separation from service.

The Veteran's left knee chondromalacia patella is currently rated at 10 percent, with limitation of flexion to a maximum of 90 degrees. The right knee chondromalacia patella has normal extension but limited flexion up to 100 degrees without instability or subluxation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with VA examinations to assess his service-connected lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), hypertension, and bilateral knee disability.

The Veteran's claimed sleeping problems, muscle, bone or joint pain of the ankles, back and knees, short-term memory loss, and gastrointestinal complaints are not service-connected as they have been attributed to known clinical diagnoses. The Board finds no nexus between these conditions and his active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on need for regular aid and attendance of another person or by reason of being housebound, finding that he did not meet the criteria for either benefit due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for fibromyalgia, chronic pain disorder; inflammatory arthritis of the right and left knees; and edema of the ankles and legs were denied as these conditions are not shown to be causally or etiologically related to her active duty service.,Specifically, the Board found that there is no evidence linking any of the claimed conditions to service.