Knee decisions — 2016

The Veteran's right knee disability, including his partial meniscectomy and replacement surgery, warrants a 30 percent rating as of February 1, 2014.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back and left knee disabilities, as well as service connection for a right knee disorder. The claim to reopen a right knee disorder was also denied. The decision did not address the TDIU claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher schedular ratings for her right knee disability, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and degenerative disc disease and facet arthropathy of the lumbar spine. The Veteran's hypertension was not service-connected.

The case is being remanded for further development to determine the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities and whether they are related to service.

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant through his authorized representative before a decision was made.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right knee disability, including osteoarthritis and chondromalacia patella, manifested during his military service and is etiologically related to his service. The sinus disability, including allergic rhinitis with superimposed acute sinusitis, also manifested during his military service and is causally related to his service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating at any point during the appeal period.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the right knee with limitation of flexion and extension were evaluated as 10 and 20 percent disabling, respectively, prior to January 17, 2012. The claims for increased ratings are denied.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the initial increased ratings for DJD of the right knee and left knee, citing his desire to withdraw from further consideration.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to his request for a videoconference hearing. His TDIU claim remains pending and requires issuance of a statement of the case.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for bilateral hearing loss and a right knee disability, expressing satisfaction with the recent favorable decision of the RO. The Board has no further jurisdiction in these matters.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and a VA addendum opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's knee disabilities and his service-connected back disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for myositis of the right leg/knee, right ankle disorder, and bilateral knee disorder are not substantiated as they are not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident in service. The Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus is also not considered to aggravate these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and effective dates have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support earlier effective dates prior to January 14, 2014, for the grant of service connection for left knee patellofemoral syndrome and right knee patellar chondromalacia with patellofemoral syndrome. The Veteran's hemorrhoids were rated as noncompensable.

The Board is remanding the case for further development, including obtaining a new medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability and issuing an SOC in the matter of service connection for palatal myoclonus.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of a gunshot wound to the left knee and left leg have been rated as 10 percent since October 1944. Effective July 16, 2015, the rating has been increased to 20 percent.

The case is REMANDED to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development. The appellant and his representative will be given an opportunity to respond.

The Veteran's appeals seeking ratings in excess of 10 percent for left knee and right ankle disabilities have been dismissed due to his abandonment. The propriety of the reduction in the rating assigned for headaches is remanded, as are issues regarding TDIU.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to incomplete development ordered in a previous May 2015 decision. The earlier effective date claims and service connection claims are also being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes, kidney disorder, left leg disorder, and various other conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to service. The Veteran's diabetes was not incurred in service and her kidney and left leg disorders are not related to service.