Knee decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the appellant does not currently have a hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a bilateral knee disability, DM, eye and foot disabilities, kidney disease, peripheral neuropathy, headaches, erectile dysfunction, and depression. The decision found no new evidence to reopen the claim of a bilateral knee disability, that DM was not related to active service, and that none of the other conditions were related to active service or secondary to DM.

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

The Veteran's right knee degenerative joint disease, left knee degenerative joint disease, and left leg peroneal neuropathy are all found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination that complies with 38 C.F.R. § 4.59 and includes all necessary information in view of Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016).

The Board has remanded the case for a hearing to be conducted at the RO before a member of the Board or via videoconference.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further proceedings consistent with the Court's decision. The case will be returned to the Board for readjudication.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for various issues, including initial compensable rating for GERD and increased ratings for knee and cervical spine conditions. The reduction in the disability rating from 20 to 0 percent for left knee instability effective July 17, 2014 was found proper.

The Veteran's appeals for PTSD, a right knee disorder, and hypertension have been withdrawn. The claim for service connection for osteoporosis has not been reopened due to lack of new and material evidence. The claims for increased ratings for the thoracic spine disability and major depressive disorder remain in appellate status.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment during the period of December 14, 2010 through September 9, 2013.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, bilateral knee disorder, and sinusitis. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board denied an initial extraschedular rating for the Veteran's right knee disability, finding that the manifestations of his condition are already contemplated by the schedular criteria.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability had its onset in service and is therefore granted service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate VA examinations and failure to include range of motion testing in the examination reports.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and increased ratings for GERD with bile acid gastritis and IBS have been denied. The Board found no evidence of direct service connection or secondary aggravation, and the medical opinions were against these claims.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for the Veteran's right knee disorder, as his current condition does not appear to be related to any incident or event in service. The claim is therefore denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to September 25, 2013.

The Veteran's appeal is REMANDED to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development, including a VA examination and consideration of TDIU.