Knee decisions — 2014

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to verify the Veteran's claimed stressor and obtain his service treatment records from his reserve unit and Records Management Center. The appellant will be provided a Supplemental Statement of the Case if the benefits are not granted.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claims for service connection for right knee and back disorders, but these issues are being remanded to obtain additional medical evidence.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death, and thus there is no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Board finds that the Veteran's osteoarthritis of the right knee, post-operative is incurred during his active military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and development of his claims, including for evaluations of his lumbar strain, left knee chondromalacia, and right knee chondromalacia.

The Veteran does not have a currently diagnosed right elbow, right knee, or bilateral foot disability.,The Veteran's current thoracolumbar spine disability is not service-connected as it is more likely age-related than related to service.

The Veteran's left knee disability, post-operative residuals of degenerative joint disease, has been rated at 20 percent since August 24, 2007. The Board found that the functional loss associated with the condition more nearly approximated a limitation of flexion to 30 degrees or extension to 15 degrees.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for hemorrhoids and left knee degenerative arthritis effective April 4, 2012.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of a prostate disorder, chronic head or neck disorders, or chronic shoulder and knee disorders related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at a 60 percent evaluation beginning November 1, 2009. The right knee disability remains at a 10 percent evaluation.

The Board has remanded the claims due to the need for additional medical records. The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and bilateral hip disability are currently under review.

The Veteran's DDD of the lumbar spine and bilateral knee disability are being considered as secondary to his service-connected right ankle instability. The examiner will determine if these conditions have worsened due to the right ankle disorder.,The Veteran's residuals from a head injury are being evaluated, but no specific service connection theory is provided.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left knee degenerative joint disease was denied. The effective date of the separate rating for left knee instability prior to May 9, 2013 is also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disorder is not related to his service or a service-connected condition, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee ligamentous laxity, fibromyalgia, recurrent sinus disorder, gallbladder disorder, and CPPD have been granted. The RO found that these conditions are related to her service-connected schizoaffective disorder.

The Veteran's tinnitus claim has been reopened, and service connection is granted. Service connection for bilateral knee chondromalacia patella (patellofemoral syndrome) and degenerative disc disease at L5-L1 are also granted. The back disability claim is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records, schedule a VA examination, and readjudicate the TDIU claim. The issues of service connection for depression and increased evaluations for right ankle and bilateral knee disabilities are also being addressed.

The Veteran's initial ratings for his right and left ankle disabilities, as well as his right and left knee disabilities, were granted at 20 percent each. The appeal is not about service connection but rather the evaluation of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining updated treatment records and scheduling him for VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.