Knee decisions — 2017

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee disability and consideration of all potentially applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's GERD is secondary to his service-connected left knee disability and was granted service connection.,The Veteran's right hip degenerative joint disease is found to be aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability and was granted service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed right and left knee disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral foot disability are not related to his active service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD and its medications, warranting service connection on a secondary basis. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's DDD and DJD of the lumbar spine are at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) proximately due to or the result of his service-connected PTSD and corresponding medications. The right knee arthritis is also considered secondary to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for ischemic heart disease due to herbicide exposure. The low back disability, left knee disability, and erectile dysfunction are not addressed as the claims have been remanded.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee and left shoulder disorders did not manifest in service or are otherwise related to service, thus denying his claims for service connection.

The Veteran is seeking to establish service connection for his left knee condition, which he claims was caused by an injury sustained during active duty. The Board finds that a VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's current left knee disability.

The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis and subluxation were granted initial disability ratings of 20 percent for the period prior to October 21, 2014.,An effective date of September 9, 2010 was assigned for the grant of a 20 percent rating for subluxation of the left patella associated with osteoarthritis of the left knee.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability, including his total knee arthroplasty, is service-connected.,Service connection for a left knee disability as secondary to the service-connected right knee disorder is also granted.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and his TDIU claim is denied.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including the effects of total knee replacement, meets the criteria for a combined 60 percent rating. Effective from August 2004, he is individually unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied due to lack of direct link to service. New and material evidence has not been submitted.,No effective date prior to July 1, 2011 is granted as the claim was received after that date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability is related to his service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition. The left knee disability was not found to be directly related to service. The back disability remains unclear as it pertains to a specific injury in service.

The Veteran was awarded a 100% disability rating for post-operative residuals of a right knee meniscectomy with traumatic arthritis, effective November 14, 2002. Basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance was also established on that date.

The Veteran's bilateral knee osteoarthritis was manifested by severe degenerative joint disease, with significant limitation of flexion and daily flare-ups that were a 10/10 in severity. The Board granted initial ratings of 30 percent for each knee prior to September 9, 2009.

The appellant's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's hip and knee disorders were not incurred or aggravated during her active duty service, are not presumed to have been incurred due to a disease or injury in service, and there is no evidence of chronicity after service. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence does not support service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent for limitation of motion, but the evidence does not support a higher rating. A separate 10 percent rating has been granted for slight instability of the left knee.

The Veteran's PTSD is service-connected.,His headaches are found to be secondary to his PTSD.,His low back disorder is service-connected as a result of injury in service.,No specific issues regarding bilateral knee or left hip disorders were addressed due to the withdrawal of appeal for these claims.,Tinnitus was granted based on combat exposure and noise trauma during service.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for a left ankle disability and a left knee disability, both considered presumptive due to undiagnosed illness related to her service in the Southwest Asia Theater of operations during the Gulf War.