Knee decisions — 2015

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions and the need for additional VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling the Veteran for examinations to assess his left knee disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, and PTSD. The claims are also being remanded for issuance of a statement of the case on the issues of service connection for GERD and entitlement to a TDIU.

The Veteran's hypertension, with right renal artery stenosis (previously called hypertensive heart disease), is rated at 20 percent since October 14, 2009.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have residuals of a heat injury, left knee disability, or low back disability as a result of service. The claim for right arm neuropathy is denied due to lack of evidence linking it to service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new examination to assess the current severity of his right knee disability and its impact on his ability to work. The case must also be referred to the Director of Compensation and Pension Service for extra-schedular consideration regarding TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee and left shoulder disabilities, as well as his multi-joint pain, are not related to service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or chronic disability.

The Veteran's exposure to solvents during his period of honorable service from February 1977 to August 1979 contributed to the development of his current cirrhosis, and the Board finds service connection for cirrhosis is warranted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral knee disorders, residuals of a head injury, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, and erectile dysfunction. The Board found that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The Board finds that DJD of the right knee is not etiologically related to active service and was not present within one year of separation from active service, thus denying the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension with hyperkalemia, headaches, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The Veteran's right knee condition and left knee condition are not considered incurred in or aggravated by service. Service connection for head injury is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's persistent depressive disorder is related to her military service and grants service connection for this condition. The other issues are addressed as part of the merits review.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right foot pes planus, low back disorder, and left knee disorder are all service-connected. The right foot pes planus is presumed to have been aggravated by service. The low back and left knee disorders are found to be aggravated by her service-connected left foot disability.

The Veteran's shin splints, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, muscle strain, and residuals of a right calf muscle injury are not related to his active service. The Board also finds that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses for the other claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of her claimed bilateral hip and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's right knee disability was rated as noncompensable prior to September 14, 1998. The Board found that the criteria for a rating of 10 percent disabling have been met.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and TDIU were granted, with the PTSD claim being based on direct service connection due to combat exposure. The TDIU claim was also granted as the Veteran met the schedular criteria for TDIU and his service-connected disabilities likely precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his right and left knee degenerative joint disease, glaucoma, and ulcerative colitis have been denied. The evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disorder did not develop during service and is not related to his service-connected left ankle strain. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of anthrax vaccine, finding that the Veteran's claim was not supported by sufficient evidence to reopen her previously denied claims.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of a stress fracture of the left tibia with posttraumatic chondromalacia and degenerative joint disease have been rated at 20 percent, effective May 1, 2006. The initial rating for his degenerative joint disease has been increased to 20 percent as of March 5, 2015.