Knee decisions — 2016

The Board denied increased ratings for retropatellar pain syndrome of the right and left knees, finding that there was no evidence of limitation of motion or instability warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to the need for additional records and a completed VA Form 21-8940 application.

The Veteran's right knee disability has been rated at 10 percent since June 24, 2007. The Board finds that the current rating adequately reflects the functional loss due to pain and other factors.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the left knee, bilateral foot disorder, arthritis of both hands, and a disability manifested by burning and dry eyes as there is no competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee degenerative joint disease is secondary to his service-connected right knee disability, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals on all issues related to service connection for various disabilities, including psychiatric disorders and musculoskeletal conditions.

The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability is found to be etiologically related to a disease, injury, or event that occurred during service. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling the Veteran for VA examinations to evaluate his right knee and left heel conditions.

The Veteran's left leg disorder and throat and neck cancer were not incurred or aggravated during his active duty service.,He did not have any service-connected disabilities at the time of his death, which is a requirement for SMC.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to her death. The Board cannot proceed with the merits of this case as she is no longer alive.

The Veteran's left knee condition is being remanded for further examination and opinion to determine if it is aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and to schedule a VA examination for his right ankle disability. The issues of increased ratings for bipolar disorder, knee osteoarthritis, and initial rating for the right ankle sprain are also pending.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability for VA purposes, and thus denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss. The issues of hypertension (claimed as secondary to diabetes), sleep apnea, and degenerative joint disease of the knees are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic cough and assigned a 20 percent rating for the back disability. Other disabilities have been rated based on their specific criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral knee disability, finding that his current conditions were not incurred or aggravated by active military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following any substantially gainful occupation, and the Board finds that he is entitled to a TDIU for the entire appeals period.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the left knee was found to be manifested by, at worst, normal extension without objective evidence of painful motion and flexion limited to 50 degrees with objective evidence of painful motion. Therefore, a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to November 21, 2012 is not warranted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for the residuals of his left knee TKA from February 1, 2008 and in excess of 60 percent from April 21, 2012 has been granted. He is currently assigned a 60 percent disability rating effective April 21, 2012.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for right knee chondromalacia and left ankle sprain, effective prior to October 13, 2010.