Knee decisions — 2016

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a right knee disability and granted it. The Veteran's current TMJ is also found to be related to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining a new VA examination for his left knee disability and issuing supplemental statements of the case addressing all issues on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability is attributable to service and grants his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for depression secondary to bilateral knee disabilities. The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge due to relocation issues and the need for proper notification.

The Board has determined that a new examination is necessary to determine the relationship between the Veteran's current knee disabilities and his service, as the previous examinations did not address this issue.

The Board denied all issues related to the Veteran's claims, finding that his right ankle disability did not warrant a compensable rating and that his knee disabilities were rated appropriately. The effective dates for service connection of his knee conditions were also denied.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance or by reason of being housebound is REMANDED due to incomplete development. The AOJ needs to obtain additional medical records, conduct a VA examination, evaluate his nonservice-connected disabilities, and determine if he meets the requirements for aid and attendance or housebound status.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected patellofemoral syndrome of the left and right knees, as well as lumbar and thoracic musculotendinous strain, were denied. The Board found that there was no evidence showing that any of these conditions warranted a rating in excess of 10 percent or separate compensable evaluations.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder condition and bilateral hip disorder were also denied. The Board determined that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of a right shoulder condition related to his military service, nor was there evidence showing that any hip disorder was caused by or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Board has found that the Veteran's sinusitis is attributable to service and granted her claim for service connection.

The Board has restored the previous 30 percent disability rating for right knee degenerative joint disease due to actual improvement in the Veteran's condition, contrary to the RO's reduction decision.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to incomplete or insufficient opinions from the VA examiners regarding the etiology of the Veteran's respiratory disability, hypertension, and bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a chronic knee disability during service or for many years after service. The Veteran's current knee disabilities are not related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to procedural issues and need for clarification of medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee disability and obtain outstanding medical records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to determine the nature and severity of his lumbar spine disability and bilateral knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed thoracolumbar spine, right knee, and left leg disabilities are not service-connected as they were either not present during active service or did not manifest within one year of service. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service or any service-connected disability.

The Board finds the Veteran's current left knee disability is not the result of a disease or injury in active service, and thus denies his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities meet the schedular rating requirement for assignment of a TDIU and he is reasonably shown to be unable to secure or follow a substantial gainful occupation as a result of these disabilities. The claim for increase in left shoulder disability remains pending.

The Veteran's left knee disability has been rated at 20 percent since July 31, 2009. The Veteran's right shoulder scar has been rated at 10 percent effective from August 19, 2011.