Knee decisions — 2017

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to incomplete records, including a lack of pre-service treatment records. The Veteran is also required to provide authorization for VA to obtain any relevant private medical records.

The Veteran's claim to reopen the Reiter's syndrome claim has been granted, and it is determined that the disability was incurred in service.,Regarding the lumbar spine issue, as well as the psychiatric disorder issue, a VA examination will be conducted to determine if these conditions are manifestations of Reiter's syndrome or separate disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current right knee and left shoulder disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to the Veteran's submission of a September 2015 statement and an Informal Hearing Presentation. The case will be returned to the AOJ for readjudication.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee, neck, and left shoulder disabilities are not related to his military service. The residuals of a head injury claim is denied as well.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee degenerative joint disease, status post total knee replacement is adequately rated under the applicable rating criteria and an extraschedular evaluation is not warranted.

The Veteran's left knee instability and degenerative arthritis have been rated at the maximum available rating of 30 percent since July 24, 2009.

The Board finds that the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the right knee is at least as likely as not due to his service-connected left knee disabilities, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge (VLJ). The issues on appeal are related to increased disability ratings and initial compensable rating for left knee conditions.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed right foot disability, nerve damage to his elbow, hip condition, knee condition, and lower extremity radiculopathy. The issues were decided on the merits as there was no indication of a presumption or secondary service connection.

The Board found that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or event causing a right knee disability. The Veteran's private physician stated the hearing loss may be related to noise exposure during service, but this was not sufficient to establish service connection as VA does not presume such conditions for ACDUTRA. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied, while her claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability was granted. The Veteran is now receiving a 10% disability rating for patellofemoral pain syndrome of the right knee from May 14, 2003 to June 1, 2011.

The Veteran's tinea versicolor was first diagnosed and treated during service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral knee disabilities, including schedular and extraschedular increased ratings, as well as his claim for a TDIU. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU and her service-connected disabilities preclude her from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability and sleep disorder were not incurred or aggravated during active service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board finds that the Veteran was not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities prior to August 11, 2006. The effective date for a TDIU is fixed in accordance with the facts found and cannot be earlier than the date of claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his service and grants entitlement to service connection for PTSD. The right knee disorder claim remains pending as additional development is required.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary before the claims can be adjudicated.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities of the bilateral knees, bilateral feet, and low back did not preclude her from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation consistent with her education and occupational background prior to July 2012.