Knee decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA examinations and medical records. The issues of increased ratings for his service-connected right below knee amputation and back disability are addressed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling VA examinations for his claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for the claimed conditions as they are not shown to be related to active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of right or left knee disabilities, and therefore cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative joint disease, but denied the claim on the merits.

The Veteran's right knee arthritis and instability are rated at 10 percent and 20 percent, respectively. The Veteran is not entitled to a compensable rating for his right knee scarring.

The Board denied service connection for left ankle, right knee, and right wrist disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.,Service connection was not granted as there is no medical evidence showing that any current psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), right knee disability, left ankle disability, or right wrist disability are related to the Veteran's active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee patellofemoral syndrome and right knee tendinopathy were incurred during his deployment to Iraq in June 2008.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for back disability, right knee disability, and thyroid disability. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for hemorrhoids and left clavicle fracture remain on appeal.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability as secondary to his service-connected left ankle disability has been granted.,His hepatitis C disability is rated at 20% since December 11, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee chondromalacia disabilities have been granted a 50% evaluation effective October 30, 2012. The Veteran's chronic lumbar pain with myofascial muscle strain has also been granted an increased rating to 20%. These ratings are in line with the criteria set forth in VA regulations.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted a 70% rating effective April 12, 2013. His low back disability was also increased to 70% from that date.

The Veteran does not have a right foot disability, right shoulder disability, or right knee disability that is the result of a disease or injury incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including scheduling a Board hearing at the RO.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities have been manifested by complaints of pain but without objective indications in the available record of functional loss equating to a compensable loss of motion. The claims for increased ratings are denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder and knee disabilities, as well as PTSD. The evidence now shows current diagnoses of these conditions and a link to an in-service stressor.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hip disability, right knee disability, and left ankle disability. The claim for a bilateral foot disability was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disability, diagnosed as patellofemoral pain syndrome, is related to his active military service.,Similarly, the Board finds that the Veteran's right shoulder disability, diagnosed as arthritis, is also related to his active military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed back, left knee, and right knee conditions are not related to his active service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease for these conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current right or left knee disorder that is directly related to his military service. The VA examiner opined that it is less likely than not that either knee disorder was incurred in service.