Knee decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the Veteran's heart disorder, lumbar spine disorder, and left knee disorder are not related to his time in service. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is granted, but his claims for low back disability and bilateral knee disability are denied.

The Veteran's diabetes and heart disorder are presumed to be related to his service due to herbicide exposure. The Board also finds that the Veteran is unable to obtain and maintain any form of substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, sleep apnea, and rhinitis. Service connection was denied for a right knee disorder and lumbar spine disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for PTSD, right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and left shoulder disability are denied. The effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD remains April 8, 2008.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as the evidence did not show that his conditions warranted a rating in excess of the currently assigned noncompensable or 10 percent disability ratings.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including post-operative residuals of a fractured right distal tibia and fibula, lumbar DDD, patellofemoral arthritis of the right knee, residual scar on the right ankle, and osteoarthritis of the right foot, have been found to be so disabling as to preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including VA examinations to address service connection claims for ear disorder, low back disorder, hip disorder, and bilateral knee disorder. The appellant's assertions of incurring injuries during ACDUTRA are considered credible.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of varicose veins and a higher rating for left knee disability were both denied by the Board.

The Board found clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's left knee disability existed prior to his active duty service. The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current left knee disability was aggravated by service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left ankle, low back, right knee, and right shoulder disorders. The diagnoses were not supported by evidence showing a current disability or a link to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities and uterine fibroids. The effective date of the award remains unclear as there is no specific information provided regarding when the disability arose or was first manifested.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining additional medical records. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated based on the new evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to issues regarding crepitus in the Veteran's shoulders and knees, which were not adequately addressed in the previous decision.

The Veteran's bilateral DJD of the knees was aggravated by his service-connected left ankle posttraumatic arthritis with osteochondritis dissecans, and therefore, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for right knee, right ankle, left ankle disabilities and PTSD. The claims for reopening previously denied left knee and PTSD were granted due to new evidence received.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new VA examination to assess the severity of his right knee disability and determine if his lower back disability is related to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is presumed due to herbicide exposure in Thailand. The Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of a lightning strike injury, left and right knee disabilities, and PTSD. However, these claims are not granted as the evidence does not establish that any disability is related to military service.