Knee decisions — 2015

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been granted. The rating for the right fourth finger has been restored to 10 percent effective January 1, 2013, and a compensable rating for umbilical hernia has also been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability is not related to his military service or a service-connected condition, and thus cannot be granted on direct service connection. The claim for secondary service connection was also denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the current left knee disabilities and the service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's TDIU claim due to inconsistencies in the August 2013 VA examination report and a need for further medical evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her lumbar spine disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left knee patellofemoral syndrome. The TDIU claim was also denied as it pertained to a period prior to September 15, 2014.

The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's bilateral knee disability is related to his military service, and therefore, it cannot be granted on a direct basis.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his right knee disability under Diagnostic Codes 5260, 5261 prior to January 11, 2013, and 5261 as of January 11, 2013, were denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of her service-connected right knee disability and obtain any recent treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his right knee disability claims, including obtaining outstanding treatment records from federal sources.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disorder, characterized by slight recurrent subluxation or lateral instability and limited flexion/extension, warrants a separate 10% rating for instability and an overall 10% rating for limitation of motion due to arthritis. The appeal is granted.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation in excess of 20 percent for his service-connected left knee disability prior to October 8, 2009 is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee disability, prior to March 14, 2007, warranted a rating of 20 percent based on symptoms including pain and occasional giving way. The disability was not severe enough for higher ratings under other diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for consideration of new evidence, including a May 2015 examination report. The case will be reconsidered by the AOJ.

The Veteran seeks service connection for arthritis of the left knee and neuropathy of the lower extremities resulting from shell fragment wounds. The Board has determined that further examination is necessary to properly address these claims.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and thus the case is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination to determine if any current left knee condition is related to service and whether it was caused or aggravated by service-connected conditions. The Veteran's claim for Dupuytren's disease will also be reviewed.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted. The remaining issues on appeal were dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeals.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, and denied entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disability. The Veteran's claims were not substantiated by the evidence presented.

The Veteran's right femur fracture with shortening of the leg and right knee degenerative joint disease are currently rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted for these conditions.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an opinion on whether the Veteran's right knee disability was aggravated by his in-service injuries, and to determine if service connection can be granted for this condition.