Knee decisions — 2016

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right knee disabilities and whether he has lateral instability or recurrent subluxation.

The Board has remanded the case for further proceedings due to inconsistencies in the decision and the need for a new examination.

The Board denied service connection for right shoulder and right knee disorders due to a lack of evidence showing a direct link between the current conditions and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right hand disability and finds in favor of granting service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis, with reasonable doubt resolved in his favor.

The Veteran's claim for an annual clothing allowance is being remanded due to the need for a certification regarding the use of her right knee brace, which tends to wear or tear her clothing. The VAMC will review the record and provide a determination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities have been granted effective January 8, 2016.

The Board found that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disability, right knee disability, and back disability. The criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability as a result of service-connected disabilities have also not been met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain medical opinions regarding the etiology of his claimed bilateral foot, knee, and sleep apnea disabilities. The AOJ will also request any relevant records from the 2001 conversation between the Veteran's late wife and her private treatment provider.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection of his right or left knee condition, back disability, and neck disability are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, to include as due to environmental hazards in the Persian Gulf, requires additional development and remand.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service-connected disabilities, including right knee degenerative joint disease with patellofemoral syndrome, cervical muscle sprain, chronic lower back sprain with degenerative joint disease at L5-S1, and right shoulder strain. The RO granted service connection for each condition but assigned initial ratings of 10 percent. The Veteran is seeking higher ratings for these conditions.

The Veteran's migraines have resulted in very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability, warranting a maximum schedular rating of 50 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination of his left ankle disability and an opinion regarding the etiology of his bilateral knee condition.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, the maximum available rating. The Board finds that he does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating due to his symptoms and functional impairment.

The appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for a back disorder and residuals of a bilateral leg injury, finding that the Veteran's current conditions did not have their onset in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current knee or kidney disability for which service connection can be granted. The evidence shows no chronic conditions during service and no current diagnoses of either condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a TDIU were denied. The right knee instability claim was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee degenerative joint disease is currently rated at 10 percent, and a separate rating for symptomatic removal of semilunar cartilage is granted.