Knee decisions — 2013

The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis is granted as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability. The hip condition is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee disorder is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's application to reopen his claims for service connection for a right knee injury and anxiety neurosis, finding that no new and material evidence had been presented.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with a VA examination to address his claims of service connection for various knee and ankle disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there is no evidence of a chronic condition or its manifestations during service, and the current conditions are not linked to service.,The Veteran's claims for increased disability evaluations were also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and for further examinations of his PTSD, bilateral knee disabilities, and left wrist disability. The RO will then review the expanded record and readjudicate the issues on appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder disability, residuals of burns of the left hand, and left knee disability. Service connection was denied for testicular pain.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine degenerative joint disease with left arm radiculopathy and lumbar spine degenerative joint disease due to a lack of new and material evidence. The claims were previously denied in August 2007, and no new or material evidence was submitted within one year of that decision.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU either on a schedular or an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's right knee disability, characterized as a right knee injury/strain post ACL reconstruction, has been rated at 10 percent since October 31, 2010. The rating is based on the presence of painful motion without arthritis.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back and bilateral knee disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by active duty service.,The VA examiner concluded in a July 2012 addendum report that the Veteran's low back and bilateral knee disorders were not due to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation during the appellate period from May 30, 2008 to June 22, 2009.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and SSA records. The Veteran's claims for arthritis of various joints are being reviewed.

The Board has granted a higher evaluation of 10 percent for the Veteran's right knee disability, effective from the date of the decision. The Veteran also received a separate 20 percent evaluation for dislocated right knee cartilage post-operatively.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and is remanding the issue of bilateral knee disabilities due to lack of nexus opinion on secondary service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities alone do not preclude substantially gainful employment, as his combined rating is at least 60 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are shown to be productive of an overall disability picture manifested by the Veteran being precluded from working at substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and occupational background beginning August 12, 2003.

The Veteran's service-connected left hamstring injury with semitendinosus tear and degenerative joint disease of the left knee, along with a related sciatic nerve compression, do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for morbid obesity, sleep apnea, gout, degenerative joint disease of the thoracic spine, right ankle arthritis, and left knee arthritis. The Board found that these conditions are not related to his military service or a service-connected disability.