Knee decisions — 2016

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence establishing a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute substantially to his death, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction, special monthly compensation based on the need for aid & attendance/housebound status, and temporary total rating based on surgical or other treatment necessitating convalescence associated with a heart attack in March 2010 were denied. The Board also found that extraschedular ratings for his right knee disabilities and residuals of a fracture of the right fifth finger were not warranted.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for major depressive disorder, reopening of previously denied claims for left knee disability and low back disability (degenerative changes with low back pain) were remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD or any other acquired psychiatric disability related to his active military service. The bilateral knee osteoarthritis did not have onset in service and was not caused or permanently aggravated by his active military service. The Veteran does not have a diagnosis of ischemic heart disease but has a diagnosis of GERD that had onset in service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current hip, spine, and knee disabilities are not related to his in-service near-fall injury. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.,The VA examiners found no specific diagnoses for the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine, cervical spine, or bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical records and arrange for an orthopedic examination. The Veteran's left knee disability is being considered for service connection, with the focus on whether any increase in severity during service was due to natural progression of the disorder.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, arranging for a VA examination of the right knee disability and medical opinion regarding functional loss during flare-ups, and considering whether to apply revised rating criteria for TBI.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his service-connected right knee arthroplasty is being remanded due to the need for further development, including an examination and consideration of additional schedular criteria. The issue will also be reconsidered in light of recent legal precedent regarding VA examinations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities, finding that there is no direct evidence linking his current conditions to his active service. The VA examinations provided did not support a finding of secondary service connection based on his service-connected pes planus or plantar fasciitis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including a dorsal spine disability, degenerative lumbar spine disorder, head injury/traumatic brain injury, memory loss, right ear and eye fluttering, acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression), cervical spine disability, left leg disorder to include genu varum of the knee, pulmonary disability to include asbestosis, generalized arthritis, right leg disorder to include genu varum of the knee, and migraine headaches have been denied. The Board found that there was no evidence showing a direct connection between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and TDIU has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal in March 2015.

The Veteran's appeal regarding a rating in excess of 10 percent for osteoarthritis of the right knee is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated records and scheduling an examination.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims to reopen his previously denied service connection claims for right and left knee disabilities.,Service connection is now established for a right knee disability, including DJD with complete ACL tears.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA medical treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for new VA examinations to assess his service-connected tension headaches and left knee disability. The case will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for service-connected major depressive disorder, right and left knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development of her medical records and a new VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of new evidence. The issues include seeking higher ratings for right knee disability and service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise whether the Veteran suffers from PTSD related to his active military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right knee degenerative joint disease status post arthroscopy and arthrotomy is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records, a new VA examination, and further development of the claims file.

The Board has determined that further action is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disability and increased rating for low back disability. The claims are being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions, records, and VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for her left knee disability and surgical scar of the left knee was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent for the left knee disability from January 18, 2008 or an initial compensable rating for the surgical scar.