Knee decisions — 2015

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a right knee disorder and remanded it for further development. The Veteran is entitled to an examination to determine if his current right knee disorder is related to his service or aggravated by his service-connected scar.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no compensable hearing loss or significant impairment from his diagnosed conditions. The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to withdrawal of his appeal regarding the left hand rating.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims, including providing VCAA notice and obtaining medical opinions regarding service connection for various conditions.

The Veteran's left knee disability has been rated at 60 percent since April 1, 2013. The claim for TDIU is inferred and the issue of entitlement to TDIU will be addressed in a separate decision.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection on the merits was granted, with no specific rating assigned.

The Veteran's spine disability is granted as secondary to his service-connected knee disabilities. His bilateral hearing loss appeal was withdrawn during the hearing. The RO assigned a 30% rating for his right and left knee disabilities following total knee arthroplasties.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for left ear hearing loss, residuals of cervical spine strain (neck injury), and residuals of left knee injury have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or nexus to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability, including a tear of the medial meniscus and degenerative joint disease, is related to his service. The Board granted service connection for this condition based on direct evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities do not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right knee disability, characterized by degenerative joint disease (arthritis), was not incurred in or related to service. The Board also determined there is no legal basis for secondary service connection of a right hip muscle strain as it is not linked to the established right knee disability.

The Veteran's discoid lupus with facial scarring requires the use of constant or near-constant systemic therapy such as corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive drugs during the past 12-month period, warranting a 60 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to concerns about the sufficiency of the July 2014 VA examination report and the need to address whether additional disability is present or aggravated by the October 2008 total right knee replacement.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current left and right knee disabilities are not related to his period of service, but rather developed due to post-service activities. The VA examiner opined that it is less likely than not that the Veteran's current knee disabilities were incurred in or caused by military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his right knee disability and TDIU due to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee disorders as secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral knee disability is not related to service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple secondary service connection claims for various disabilities, including left knee, right hand/wrist, right hip, back, and right shoulder conditions. The Board has determined that the current examinations are inadequate to address these issues and requires additional evaluations.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee chondromalacia patella is currently rated at 10 percent prior to December 15, 2009 and in excess of 10 percent from that date. The Veteran does not have a low back disability or left knee disability for which she seeks service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is service connected as it is etiologically related to an in-service injury. The right leg and right knee disabilities are not service connected.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the severity of his sleep apnea and service-connected right knee and left foot disabilities.