Knee decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional service treatment records and clarify the nature of his left knee disorder, right orchiectomy, and left foot disorder. The RO/AMC will also schedule a hearing for the appellant.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 70 percent, with a single disability rated 40 percent. The Veteran is unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board denied claims for increased evaluations for right and left knee disabilities and declined to reopen previously denied claims of service connection for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy. The Veteran's claim for TDIU was granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's DDD of the lumbar spine is related to service and grants this claim. The right knee disability and left knee disability claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee medial meniscectomy and osteoarthritis, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his in-service injuries.

The Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for left knee patellofemoral syndrome is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and development.

The Veteran's right knee contusion secondary to patellofemoral syndrome was found not to warrant an increased rating prior to January 17, 2013. From that date onwards, the disability is rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a Travel Board Hearing scheduled on January 13, 2014. He was notified of the hearing at an incorrect address.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining outstanding VA and private treatment records, providing corrective VCAA notice, and scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of his low back injury.

The Veteran's service-connected post-operative residuals of the left knee with lateral instability and arthritis of the left knee are manifested by severe instability/subluxation, poor propulsion, and limited painful motion. The disability is rated at 30 percent under Diagnostic Code 5257.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability, including cartilage damage and degenerative joint disease, is not related to his military service. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a left knee disability, which he claims is related to his active service or secondary to his service-connected right knee disability. The case is being remanded due to the need for additional development including scheduling a VA examination.

The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and right knee disability and his military service. The Veteran did not experience significant shifts in hearing thresholds during service, and his post-service noise exposure was minimal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left knee disorders, diagnosed as osteoarthritis and tendonitis, are at least as likely to have been caused by his military service.

The Board denied entitlement to separate service connection for a right foot disability and an increased rating for incomplete paralysis of the right sciatic nerve with contracture, flexion of right knee. The Veteran's death prevented any further consideration of these claims.

The Veteran is precluded from substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, and the Board finds that he meets the criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including Lyme disease and its residuals, as well as secondary disabilities to these conditions, have been denied. The evidence does not support a finding that any of the claimed conditions are related to active military service or are due to a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back and left knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations to assess current severity.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for the post-TKR right knee disability, finding that symptoms and impairment did not warrant such a rating prior to November 18, 2009, from November 18, 2009 through September 29, 2011, it was reasonably shown to meet criteria for a 60 percent rating. Since January 1, 2012, the Veteran's right knee disability has not met criteria warranting a higher rating.