Knee decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his bilateral hip and knee conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a concussion, now claimed as TBI. However, the VA examiner found no evidence of current residuals from the 1975 concussion and concluded that the Veteran does not have residuals of TBI.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development and examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his PTSD and another VA examination to evaluate the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee osteoarthritis is not related to his active service and has denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability is related to his military service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right knee disability is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional medical records.

The Veteran is granted service connection for residuals of left breast surgery and a skin disability of the left ear lobe. Service connection was denied for a skin disability of the right ear lobe and a left knee disorder.,Service connection has been established for a current diagnosis of osteoarthritis in the left knee, which is related to an injury sustained during service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for clarification of the range of motion findings from a previous VA examination.

The Board has determined that the claimant's right and left knee disorders, as well as his low back disorder, are at least as likely as not due to repetitive-type injury sustained during service. As a result, these conditions have been granted service connection.

The Board has determined that the appellant's right knee disability does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent, as her extension limitation is never more than 0 degrees.

The Veteran is permanently and totally disabled due to service-connected disabilities, including his right knee and lumbar spine conditions. The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities are productive of loss of use of both lower extremities such as to preclude locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair. As a result, the Veteran is eligible for a certificate of eligibility for specially adapted housing.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining records from Social Security Administration.

The Veteran does not have current diagnoses of right hip or bilateral knee disorders, and her service treatment records do not support a finding of such disabilities. The Board finds that she is not entitled to service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's tinnitus, PTSD, and right knee patellofemoral chondromalacia were all found to be related to service. The Veteran was granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and issuing a Statement of the Case (SOC) for the initial compensable evaluation claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for brain damage, memory loss, joint pain not otherwise specified, and somatoform psychiatric disability have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding of a current disability that is related to active service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including chronic headaches, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and knee disabilities, were denied as the evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for further examinations. The issues of increased ratings for PTSD, lumbosacral strain, and chondromalacia of the left knee are also being addressed.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability and an initial rating of 10 percent for the lumbar spine disability. The Veteran's appeal regarding the increased initial rating for the lumbar spine disability is remanded to issue a Statement of the Case.