Knee decisions — 2015

The Veteran has been granted service connection for multiple undiagnosed illnesses affecting various joints and the right and left hands, knees, shoulders, and wrists.,Service connection is established for these conditions based on their occurrence during active duty in the Southwest Asia Theater of operations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee, cervical spine, and lumbar spine disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis is currently rated at 10 percent, the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 5260 (flexion limitation). The VA examination did not find any ankylosis or other disabling conditions that would warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran is unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities, as his education and recent internship indicate he can perform sedentary work.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability is not related to service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran has been diagnosed with bilateral knee chondromalacia, which is considered a form of arthritis. The Board finds that the presumptive provisions for arthritis apply to this claim.,For an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and major depressive disorder, the Veteran was not shown to have sustained a relevant psychiatric injury or disease in service. Therefore, service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee instability warrants a 20 percent rating since September 17, 2008 and his left knee osteoarthritis warrants a 10 percent rating since September 17, 2008.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination by a vocational specialist to assess his ability to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities. The claim will also be referred to the Director of Compensation for consideration of an extra-schedular TDIU if he does not meet the scheduler criteria.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the schedular criteria for a higher rating or TDIU prior to January 13, 2015.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of Osgood-Schlatter's disease and there is no evidence linking his current bilateral knee disability to service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected, and his left ankle and knee conditions are each rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and guidance from VBA regarding the classification of Da Nang Harbor. The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, and a right knee condition will be reconsidered.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression and anxiety), a sleep disorder, and a sinus condition. However, no new or material evidence was submitted to support these claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and authorization forms from the Veteran.

The Board has ordered a remand for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from the VA examiner regarding the Veteran's hypertension and knee complaints. The issues of service connection for hypertension and bilateral knee disability are being addressed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current degenerative changes of the right knee are at least as likely as not due to an in-service injury, and thus service connection is granted.

The Veteran's initial ratings for degenerative joint disease of the right and left knees prior to December 27, 2011, and December 31, 2012, respectively, are denied as they do not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination and needs further development before a final decision can be made on the initial rating for left knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and effective date were denied. The initial compensable evaluations assigned prior to November 21, 2013, are not supported by the evidence of record.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left knee disability was denied, and the Board found that he did not meet the criteria for TDIU on an extraschedular basis.