Knee decisions — 2014

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral knee and cervical spine disorders, finding that the conditions are not causally or etiologically related to service.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to the appellant's failure to provide necessary identifying information and releases for critical evidence.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability has been rated at 30 percent since March 1999. The Board found that the current rating adequately reflects the severity of his condition, with pain on use and occasional muscle spasms, moderate to severe limitation of motion without ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.

The Board denied service connection for chondromalacia of the left and right knees, as well as double vision. The Veteran's conditions are not considered to be related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination and requests for additional medical evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for defective vision and bilateral hearing loss, as well as his claims for left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, lumbar spine disorder, left knee disorder, left arm disorder, and right arm disorder. The evidence received was not sufficient to reopen any of these previously denied claims.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and granted it, finding that his current lumbar spine disorder is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected chondromalacia patella of the left knee and the service-connected post traumatic arthritis of the left ankle.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have worsened, but the Board has determined that a rating in excess of 50 percent is not warranted prior to January 29, 2011. The claims for service connection for COPD, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, bilateral knee arthritis, arthritis of the right wrist, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, back condition, neck condition, pneumonia, and cholinergic urticaria have been withdrawn.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the claims can be properly adjudicated, including obtaining medical records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's bilateral foot disorder.

The Veteran's appeals have been partially granted with some issues being granted and others denied. The effective dates are not assigned as the evidence does not show a pending claim prior to his November 2007 application.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the claims of service connection for right knee, left elbow, and left ankle disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical spine, lumbar spine, left knee, and right leg disabilities. This includes obtaining Army Reserve records to verify his active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA periods, obtaining SSA records, and providing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding the etiology of any current cervical and lumbar spine disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of her service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to a higher disability rating for his left knee disability has been withdrawn. The Board has granted service connection for a liver disorder, finding that the Veteran had fatty liver with elevated liver enzymes since 1999 during his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to an outstanding hearing request. The claims for increased ratings will be addressed after the scheduled videoconference hearing.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and new evidence suggests the presence of certain disabilities that may be related to his military service. However, no additional disability or unforeseeable residuals from VA treatment were found.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and clarifying the Veteran's employment status.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis was incurred in service and is therefore granted for purposes of accrued benefits.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back, psychiatric, right hip, and right knee disabilities due to lack of evidence supporting these claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for low back strain and right knee strain are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations.