Knee decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral knee and low back disabilities are unrelated to service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability that can be attributed to his military service, including undiagnosed illnesses or exposure to hazardous chemicals.

The Board is unable to determine whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection of a psychiatric disorder. The right knee issue remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a new VA examination to address the etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus with hallux valgus deformities and callouses is currently rated at 30 percent, which is the maximum rating under Diagnostic Code 5276. The ratings for right knee tendonitis (10%), left knee tendonitis (10%), and left knee instability (20%) have all been denied. However, due to his unemployability caused by these service-connected disabilities, he has been granted TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case for referral to the Director of Compensation Service for an extraschedular TDIU determination due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities are adequately contemplated by the schedular rating criteria and thus, an extra-schedular disability rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative joint disease was denied. The Board found no evidence of a nexus between any in-service event and the current diagnosis. For his lumbar spine disability, the Veteran is currently rated at 20 percent prior to May 8, 2013, and at 40 percent from September 6, 2014 onwards. The claim for TDIU prior to September 6, 2014 was also denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right knee disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not related to his service-connected back disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left and right knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability does not present an exceptional or unusual picture, and therefore, the assigned schedular ratings adequately reflect his disability level and symptomatology. As such, referral for extraschedular consideration is denied.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current right knee disability and therefore, service connection for a right knee disability cannot be established.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prior to February 2, 2001 did not render her unemployable.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for a left knee condition is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and testing as per Correia v. McDonald, 28 Vet. App. 158 (2016).

The Board has remanded the case due to a hearing request not being scheduled. The Veteran's claims for reopening service connection for left knee replacement, back disability secondary to left knee disability, and right knee replacement are pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues with the VA examination for left knee laxity, and additional development is required.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has ordered a new VA examination for the Veteran's left eye and left knee disabilities due to the passage of time since the last examinations, as well as additional relevant evidence submitted by the Veteran. The case is also remanded for obtaining updated VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case for initial consideration by the RO due to new evidence received after the most recent Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of heart disorder, bilateral knee disorder, respiratory disorder (claimed as asthma with obstructive lung disease), visual impairment, or bilateral hearing loss. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.