Knee decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral knee disorder, left ankle disorder, or right ankle disorder that is causally related to his military service. The VA examination and opinion obtained in November 2006 concluded that there was no clear evidence of knee disability on examination and nothing in the record to show a significant problem in service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee disabilities, including degenerative changes and gout, is denied as there is no evidence showing that these conditions were present during or caused by his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and denied increased evaluations for right knee chondromalacia and arthritis, on both a schedular and extraschedular basis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed knee disabilities, including arthritis, were not incurred or aggravated by service and therefore denied her claims.

The Board found no evidence of a service-connected disability for the neck, left shoulder, low back, or right knee disorders and denied all claims.

The Board has granted service connection for low back, cervical spine, left knee and right knee disabilities based on the Veteran's credible assertions of in-service injuries and subsequent development of these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that there is insufficient evidence to support a link between his current condition and an in-service injury. The case was remanded for further development but no additional medical opinion or records were provided.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability, headaches, and left knee scar were not rated higher than the current levels of 10 percent. The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a right or left knee disability related to service and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's initial rating for left ankle strain is granted at 10%, but the appeal for a higher rating or separate ratings for instability and lateral meniscus tear of the right knee is denied.

The Veteran's right knee arthritis is rated at 10 percent, effective October 1, 2012. A separate rating of 20 percent for a large loose body resulting in locking prior to June 18, 2012, has been granted.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of right knee tendonitis was granted, with the effective date set at August 5, 2010.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left hip and right knee disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent for the left hip disability prior to December 6, 2006, or for a rating in excess of 20 percent for the right knee disability prior to April 29, 2009. The effective date claim was not addressed as it was implicitly denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of right knee, left knee, and low back disabilities. The reduction in rating of bilateral hearing loss from 100% to noncompensable effective June 1, 2008, was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current right knee disability is related to his service-connected back disability or pre-existed service. The claim will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to individual unemployability for further development, including a VA examination and an opinion regarding the combined effect of all service-connected disabilities on the Veteran's ability to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has found that the Veteran's current neck disability is not etiologically related to his active service and denied his claim for service connection. The claims for back, left knee, and right knee disabilities are remanded due to incomplete medical opinions.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left and right knee disabilities are not related to his service, as any pre-existing conditions were resolved in service. The VA examination reports concluded that the DJD of the knees is less likely caused by or a result of military service.,Service connection for both left and right knee arthritis was denied due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between current disabilities and service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for postoperative residuals of right knee internal derangement is denied, as the evidence does not support an evaluation in excess of 20 percent. The claim for a higher rating for arthritis of the right knee from October 31, 2008 is also denied, as there is no evidence that warrants a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and left ankle/foot disabilities, both claimed as secondary to service-connected disability, were denied.