Knee decisions — 2016

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, especially residuals of lumbar strain, left and right knee chondromalacia, left and right ankle strains, and left and right foot plantar fasciitis with hallux valgus, preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board grants a TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his left knee disability. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with the rating claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability warrants a 20% disability rating from March 30, 2007, based on limitation of extension to 115 degrees.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the service connection claim for a left knee disability. The Veteran's left knee disability is not found to be caused or aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have osteoarthritis of the bilateral knees, hands, and shoulders. The issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder remains pending as there is insufficient evidence to determine whether it was incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right shoulder and bilateral knee disabilities are not related to service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection, including obtaining private and VA treatment records, as well as clarifying medical opinions regarding his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder and psychiatric disorders (including PTSD, depression, and adjustment disorder) was denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that caused the current conditions. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of PTSD linked to any corroborated in-service stressor and other diagnosed psychiatric disorders are not shown to have had an onset during service or be related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a VA examination to assess the current nature and severity of his service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran has withdrawn all issues on appeal, including the requests for higher ratings for PTSD with alcohol abuse in remission, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and degenerative enthesitis of the left knee.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for scheduling a Board hearing via videoconference. The issues on appeal include ratings for knee conditions and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right and left foot neuritis, as there was no current diagnosis or evidence linking these conditions to her military service. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for migraine headaches was partially granted with a 30% disability evaluation.

The Board has reopened the service connection claims for right shoulder and bilateral knee disabilities, as new evidence supports a current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Veteran's application for an earlier effective date for the payment of a clothing allowance was granted, as it was filed within one year of the anniversary date for which entitlement was initially established.

The Board denied service connection for a right leg disability, to include arthritis of the knee and ankle, as it was not incurred in or aggravated by service. The claim is remanded due to the need for additional development regarding other issues.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of a left knee disability and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for TBI with residual headaches. The earlier effective date claim was also denied as there were no prior communications from the Veteran regarding this issue.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete records and a need for additional medical opinions. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's right knee disability was rated at 30 percent from October 1, 2011 to April 29, 2012. The Board found that the condition did not meet criteria for a higher rating based on limitation of motion and denied a separate rating for instability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, seeking addendum opinions from the July 2015 VA examiner regarding the nature and etiology of his right shoulder disorder, bilateral knee disorders, bilateral foot disorders, heart disorder, and bilateral venous insufficiency, and addressing the Veteran's complaints of sciatica in the lower extremities.