Knee decisions — 2016

The Board has granted service connection for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFS) and denied the remaining issues. The Veteran's psoriasis is currently rated at 10%.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disability and assigned a 70 percent rating for PTSD. The Veteran's neck, left hip, and bilateral knee disabilities were also found to be related to service.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis is being remanded due to the need for additional development and consideration of his service-connected left knee disabilities in conjunction with other nonservice-connected conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee residual instability and degenerative joint disease, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings under the applicable rating criteria.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were partially granted, with a 30 percent rating assigned for the right knee traumatic arthritis and meniscectomy residuals beginning on September 8, 2014. The Veteran is still seeking higher ratings for his service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee injury and head injury residuals due to additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal involves increased ratings for his service-connected right and left knee disabilities. The Board has remanded the case to obtain updated VA examinations, private treatment records, and a Social and Industrial Survey.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a left knee condition, which he claims is related to his service-connected right knee disability. The case was remanded for further development and an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability. A new VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any left knee disability that may be present.

The Board has granted separate ratings for the Veteran's status post meniscectomies of both knees, but denied his claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the right and left knee.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to her inability to attend the scheduled hearing. Her claims for increased evaluations of left and right knee strain are still pending.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's current right knee disability, including whether it was aggravated by his second period of service. The claim will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current knee disability, including whether it is related to active service. The claim will be readjudicated after this additional development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining VA treatment records and SSA records. The Veteran will also be afforded a VA examination to determine the etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder and hypertension.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability is denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a separate and distinct left knee disability from his currently service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss. The claims for increased ratings for lumbar spine strain, right knee strain, and left knee strain are remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination and consideration of the additional evidence received since the last SSOC.

The Board has determined that reducing the Veteran's disability rating for osteochondritis of the right knee from 20 percent to 10 percent, effective December 1, 2013, was not proper based on the evidence showing no actual improvement in his condition.

The Veteran's right knee disability was granted a noncompensable rating prior to March 13, 2009 and a 10 percent rating from May 1, 2009. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was granted an initial 20 percent rating effective May 7, 2012.

The Veteran's left knee pain and arthritis are not service-connected as they did not manifest during or within one year after service. The skin tumors and cancer, claimed as due to herbicide exposure, also do not meet the criteria for service connection.