Knee decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbosacral spine disability and osteoarthritis of the left knee are not related to her military service, and thus denied these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea is not related to his active duty service or a service-connected disability. The claims for bilateral hip and knee disorders are denied as there is no evidence of record supporting their development during ACDUTRA.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of her right knee disability is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to address the nature and etiology of her claimed disabilities.

New and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability, which may now be considered on its merits.

The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disorder and granted service connection for right and left knee chondromalacia. The evidence is at least in equipoise with respect to a finding that the Veteran's current knee disorders began during service.

The Veteran's daughter submitted a claim for accrued benefits within one year of his death, and the Board granted these benefits despite it being filed after the one-year deadline.

The Board found no evidence of a right knee disability, back disability, or joint disability (other than as due to an undiagnosed illness) during service. The Veteran's tinnitus began after service and is not linked to military noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the case for further action due to inadequate statement of reasons or bases in the April 2015 decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and a new VA examination to assess the severity of his right knee disability. The case will also be reviewed to determine if he qualifies for TDIU based on service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inconsistencies in the May 2010 VA examinations and the possibility of a claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1117 (undiagnosed illnesses).

The Veteran seeks service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, which he claims is related to his in-service aircraft maintenance duties. The case has been remanded due to the Veteran's request for rescheduling of his videoconference hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee disability is not related to her military service and therefore denied her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including several orthopedic conditions and bipolar disorder, do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder and left knee disability. For the gastrointestinal disorder, the Veteran's current condition is not related to his exposure to contaminated water during service or otherwise. For the left knee disability, additional development is needed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of worsening since the last examination.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for his right knee disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent from May 1, 2008 to December 29, 2015 and did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 50 percent since December 29, 2015.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current disability for the claimed right shoulder disorder, left knee disorder, left ankle disorder, right ankle disorder, frostbite residuals of the left nipple, or frostbite residuals of the right nipple. Therefore, service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination and reviewing the claims file to determine if his lumbar spine, bilateral knee, right hip, right ankle, and right foot disorders are related to service or service-connected left ankle and foot disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied for his lumbar spine and right knee disabilities, but granted a compensable rating (30%) for arthritis of the right knee after January 1, 2015.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left knee disability due to inadequate examination findings. The case is now pending with the RO for further development.