Knee decisions — 2014

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

The Board has granted service connection for left knee degenerative joint disease. The Veteran's other claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also addressed and submitted for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's left knee disability has been rated as 10 percent disabling since October 2006. The VA determined that the current level of disability does not warrant a higher rating based on instability or limitation of motion.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to failure to obtain all relevant treatment records, including from San Juan VA Medical Center. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability, to include as secondary to a right knee disability, is now pending and will be reconsidered.

The Veteran's right knee disability is not considered service-connected as it did not manifest within one year of his separation from service and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Veteran's joint pain and fatigue are not service-connected. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to his in-service symptoms, and the medical evidence does not support a finding that any diagnosed conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee arthritis as secondary to his service connected left ankle disability is granted. The appeal regarding a schedular rating in excess of 20 percent for the left ankle disability and TDIU is also addressed, with the case being remanded for further consideration.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are found to be severe enough to prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and the Board grants TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical examinations and records, as well as for further development of the claims. The primary issues are an increased rating for his back disability, service connection for a bilateral knee condition, and TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current right ankle or right knee disabilities related to his service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected residuals of an L3 and L5 transverse fracture, left knee injury, and left hip trochanteric bursitis were denied. The criteria for higher ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes were not met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to reassess the severity of his service-connected left knee disability, including range of motion and any instability or locking. The Veteran also requested an increased evaluation for his TKA.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right and left hip conditions, finding that there was no evidence showing these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service. The decision is final as it was not appealed within one year.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, conducting a new VA examination, and considering extraschedular considerations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnosis of degenerative joint disease of the left knee is related to his active duty service, and thus grants service connection for this disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of a right knee disability and an increased rating for his left knee disability. The Board found no evidence that the right knee disability was incurred in or aggravated by service, including as secondary to his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current disability of any of the claimed conditions, and there is no evidence linking these disabilities to service. The VA examinations and VHA specialist opinions do not support a finding that any of the disabilities are related to the 1969 motor vehicle accident.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection on the lumbar spine arthritis was withdrawn. The Board found that there is no evidence of a left knee disability in service or within one year after separation, and thus denied service connection for a left knee disability.

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