Knee decisions — 2014

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by service and did not link it to his service-connected left knee disorder. The claim for reopening the previous denial of service connection was granted, but the claim for service connection itself was denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to technical difficulties with the hearing transcript. The case will be returned for scheduling a new videoconference hearing at the RO.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the absence of certain records and an internally inconsistent VA examination report. The TDIU issue has also been raised.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for his claimed left knee, left shoulder, and cervical conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional development of medical records and an opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for a temporary total disability rating due to convalescence following left knee surgery is denied as the criteria are not met.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, diabetes mellitus, and erectile dysfunction were all denied. The Board found no current disabilities to support these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as he is already receiving the maximum schedular disability rating for his tinnitus and does not meet the criteria for an increased evaluation or service connection for any of the other conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining alternative evidence to support the appellant's claims of sexual assault and right knee disability. The VA will also seek additional medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of any diagnosed conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current service-connectable low back disorder, right hip disorder, left knee disorder, shin disorder (claimed as shin splints), or bruising of the upper back. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's right knee disability was restored to a 40 percent rating, and his spouse is granted special monthly compensation on account of the need for regular aid and attendance.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a bilateral knee disability, including degenerative arthritis and osteoarthritis. The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, to include bipolar affective disorder; PTSD; residuals of abrasions of the right hand; and a right knee disorder. The evidence submitted since January 2003 raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Veteran's current hallux rigidus is causally related to his in-service diagnosis and treatment, thus service connection for this condition is granted. The left knee disability claim requires additional development as the VA examiner did not have access to all relevant records.

The Veteran's diffuse arthralgia of the ankles, knees, and hips is considered to be due to his January 2003 anthrax vaccination. His psychiatric disorder is also linked to this same exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including right lower leg, thigh, knee, ankle, and back conditions have been denied. The Board finds that there is no evidence of a current disability related to these conditions or any in-service injury.

The Veteran's service-connected left knee disability is currently rated at 20 percent, which corresponds to slight recurrent subluxation or lateral instability of the knee. The rating has been granted.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for his left knee disability from July 1, 2006 to January 8, 2007 was denied. The Board found that the disability did not meet or approximate criteria warranting a higher rating during this period.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the lumbar spine disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor is it proximately due to a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left knee patellofemoral syndrome was denied. The Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to TDIU due to service-connected left knee disability, but did not assign a specific rating or effective date.

The case is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining records of the Veteran's surgery and a new VA examination to determine if his right knee disability is related to service or secondary to his service-connected residuals of right ankle peroneal tendon exploration with stabilization.