Knee decisions — 2015

The Veteran's appeal was denied as his service-connected right knee conditions did not meet the criteria for a higher rating or compensable rating under applicable VA regulations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection. The issue of service connection for a bilateral knee disability is being REMANDED.

The Board has remanded the case due to an audio technical malfunction during a videoconference hearing, and the Veteran's request for a new hearing is pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a right knee disability that is related to service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection. The eye disability claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and dismissed the appeal of the issue of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disability. The claim of service connection for sterility is denied.

The Veteran's left knee disability, post-total knee arthroplasty (TKA), is rated at 60 percent effective as of May 1, 2010. The right knee arthritis and instability are both rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's bilateral knee arthritis was diagnosed within one year of separation from service and manifested to a degree of at least 10 percent during that time.,The weight of the competent evidence of record demonstrates that the Veteran has been diagnosed with a psychiatric disability under the DSM-IV criteria due to an in-service stressor.

The Veteran's initial and subsequent evaluations for his right knee chondromalacia have been denied as they do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's PFS, left knee, was not manifested by flexion limited to 30 degrees or extension limited to 15 degrees, and therefore, the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent were not met.

The Veteran's left knee brace tends to wear and tear his clothing, which is a service-connected condition. The Board has found that the evidence is in equipoise regarding this issue, thus granting an annual clothing allowance.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his military service and thus denied all of his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and left knee with osteoarthritis/degenerative changes, previously evaluated as fracture, closed, junction, middle lower third of left tibia and fibula were denied. The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's right knee disability is service-connected and rated at 10 percent prior to March 23, 2010; thereafter, the rating remains at 10 percent.

The Board has recharacterized the issue on appeal as entitlement to service connection for a left knee disorder. The Veteran's claim was previously denied, but is now granted.

The Board found no credible evidence of a right knee injury during service and concluded that the Veteran's current right knee disability is not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disorder, including degenerative joint disease, was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not related to any incident during service. As a result, the claim for service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied across the board. The Board found no evidence of a current disability in most cases and insufficient medical nexus to support the Veteran's assertions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal of the November 2009 rating decision that denied a higher rating for his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disorder and left shoulder disorder are related to his military service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new examination to account for her reported symptoms of 'electric shocks' traveling down her leg, near-constant pain, painful motion, weakness, and reliance on a cane to ambulate.