Knee decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability had its onset in service and is related to his military service. However, there is no evidence linking the Veteran's hypertension to his service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional development and consideration of new evidence, including an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral knee disability and hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a right knee disability, finding that his current condition was due to the natural progression of his preexisting injury and not related to military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and left ankle disorders, both secondary to his service-connected residuals of left fifth metatarsal fracture, are being remanded due to the failure to report for a scheduled VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's total left knee replacement does not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating from July 1, 2014.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability was not aggravated by service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed right knee and left ankle disabilities are not related to service, including parachute jumps during service. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a right knee examination. The claims will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and consideration of his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the etiology of his right great toe disability, as well as the severity of his headaches and scar residuals. The TDIU claim will also be developed.

The Veteran's current left knee disability, including arthritis and arthralgia, was incurred in and due to his active duty service. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise, granting service connection for a left knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for traumatic arthritis of the right knee, residuals of frostbite of the right foot and left foot have been granted.

The Board's decision was vacated by the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and thus the motion to revise or reverse is dismissed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left leg disorder other than a left knee disorder, hypertension, and low back disability. The evidence does not support finding these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by military service.

The Board's decision was vacated by the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and thus the motion to revise or reverse is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to separate evaluations for instability and extraschedular evaluations for the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, as well as her claim for TDIU. The AOJ must first develop and readjudicate these claims before addressing the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis is found to be secondary to his service-connected pes planus and plantar fasciitis. The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is found to be aggravated by his service-connected sinusitis.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination to address the etiology of the Veteran's left knee and low back disabilities, as well as their relationship to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disability and skin disability are not related to service, including exposure to herbicide agents. As a result, the claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for her service-connected lumbar spine disability, bilateral shoulder disabilities, cervical spine disability, and upper extremity neurological impairments. The evaluation for DDD of the lumbar spine was found to be inadequate prior to June 21, 2016.