Knee decisions — 2013

The overpayment of $4,473.00 was created due to the receipt of compensation benefits under both Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) and VA regulations for a right knee disability. The Veteran's request for waiver of recovery is granted as it does not meet the criteria for undue financial hardship or against equity and good conscience.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluation of his right ankle disability, service connection for a low back disorder and bilateral knee disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations.

The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis was granted a 10 percent rating effective May 21, 2010. The claim for an earlier effective date is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, cervical spine disorder, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, eye disorder/vision loss, and periodontal disease were denied as the evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and her service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of her claims, including obtaining relevant medical records and providing supplemental opinions regarding the etiology of her knee and stomach disorders.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic left knee disorder during service and determined that the Veteran's current left knee disability is not causally related to his military service.

The Veteran does not have a chronic disability manifested by bilateral leg numbness or right knee disability that was incurred in or aggravated by active service. The Board finds no evidence of such disabilities and the VA examination did not support any current diagnoses related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities have been rated based on their current functional impairment, with no higher evaluations granted. The right and left knees each receive a 10 percent evaluation for arthritis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including left shoulder, right shoulder, left knee, right knee, and back disabilities, are not related to service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a new VA medical opinion regarding the relationship between his service-connected lumbar spine disability and his bilateral knee disability.

The Board has determined that the effective dates for the grants of service connection and special monthly compensation are November 13, 2006, based on the date of receipt of the initial claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee and back disabilities are service-connected based on direct evidence of injury or disease during her military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a hearing at the RO. The issues are related to rating his disabilities of the right knee and lumbar spine.

The Board found no evidence of a current right ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and denied service connection for bilateral knee disorder. The Veteran's claims were not based on any presumption or secondary service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examination and consideration of her right knee disability.

The Board has remanded the case for an addendum to a November 2010 VA spine examination, which should address whether the Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the knees has made his diagnosed low back disability chronically worse.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to outstanding VA treatment records.

The Board found no evidence of a right knee disability in service and denied the Veteran's claim for service connection, concluding that his current condition is less likely related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee disorder, finding that it is related to his active military service.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a right knee disorder, which he claims was caused by an injury during active service. He also contends that his right knee disorder may be secondary to his service-connected left knee arthritis. The Board has determined that additional development is needed.