Knee decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right hip and right knee disabilities are not related to service, nor were they manifested within one year of separation from active duty. The Veteran's sleep apnea is also not linked to his military service.,Service connection for all three conditions (right hip disability, right knee disability, and sleep apnea) has been denied.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is granted as service-connected. The left elbow, left shoulder, right ankle, and right knee disorders are denied due to lack of evidence linking them to service or a service-connected condition. The thoracolumbar spine disorder, testicular pain, chest pain (costochondritis), stomach pain, and headaches are also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination and determining entitlement to TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including depressive disorder, degenerative joint/disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, right and left upper extremity radiculopathy, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, chondromalacia of the knees, migraine headaches, and other conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment since September 12, 2008.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a bilateral-hip or right-knee disability that is causally related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee and right ankle disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board has awarded a separate rating of 10 percent for left knee instability, effective December 1, 2009.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee and hip disabilities, as well as sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction (ED), all of which were claimed as secondary to his service-connected back disability or medication prescribed for other service-connected conditions.,The VA examiners found that any current bilateral knee and hip disabilities are not related to service or a service-connected condition. The examiner also concluded that the Veteran's sleep apnea was not caused by service-connected asthma or rhinitis, nor did it aggravate his ED.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee and ankle disabilities pre-existed service and were not aggravated by in-service injury or incident. The TDIU claim was denied as his disability rating is less than 60% for the relevant period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right lower extremity below-the-knee amputation is not related to his service-connected condition and instead is linked to his non-service connected diabetes. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's right knee disability was previously rated at 30 percent, effective May 2007. The rating was reduced to 20 percent effective October 20, 2009 due to improvement in the condition.

The Veteran does not have a current bilateral knee disorder and has not had such a disability at any point since filing his claim for service connection.,Veteran does not have a current tinnitus disorder and has not had such a disability at any point since filing his claim for service connection.,The Veteran does not have a current nasal disorder and has not had such a disability at any point since filing his claim for service connection.,The Veteran does not have a current dental disorder that qualifies for VA disability compensation purposes stemming from his active duty service.

The Veteran's appeals for hyperlipidemia, left wrist disability (carpal tunnel syndrome), left ankle strain, and left knee strain have been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a Board hearing. The claims of service connection and increased ratings are not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his bilateral knee, back, and pes planus disabilities.

The Board has dismissed the appeals due to the appellant's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.,A VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability, chronic lumbar strains, and bilateral pes planus.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the appellant's request for withdrawal prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was granted service connection. Service connection for left elbow, left shoulder, right ankle, and right knee disorders were denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability. Service connection for thoracolumbar spine disorder, testicular pain, chest pain (costochondritis), stomach pain, and headaches was also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for removal of a right kidney is denied, and his claims for increased ratings for PTSD and diabetes mellitus are not currently in dispute as they were previously addressed by the RO.