Knee decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability is etiologically related to his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran has withdrawn her appeals regarding the initial ratings for right and left knee patellofemoral syndrome, as well as her requests to establish service connection for right and left ankle disabilities. As a result, these issues are dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right knee osteochondritis desiccans, status post right tibial osteotomy, arthroscopic surgery with debridement and Carticel transplant was denied. The RO continued the prior 10 percent rating from March 1, 2008.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's right knee disability is aggravated by his service-connected back disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disability is etiologically related to his in-service injuries, thus granting service connection for a right knee disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to engage and retain substantially gainful employment, thus meeting the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's left knee, back, and neck disabilities were not shown to be related to his service-connected foot disability or incurred during service. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against these claims.

The Board has denied initial evaluations in excess of 20 percent for instability of the right and left knees as of March 1, 2013, based on service-connected medial meniscectomy with osteoarthritis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee disorders are caused by his service-connected right knee disability, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's right total knee replacement has been rated at 60 percent since October 1, 2012. The Board found that the residuals of the surgery most closely approximated a 60 percent rating due to severe painful motion and weakness.

The Board has determined that further development is needed in order to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right knee disabilities. This includes obtaining updated medical records, scheduling a VA examination, and giving the Veteran another opportunity to provide additional evidence.

The Veteran is permanently and totally disabled due to service-connected disabilities, including low back disability, bilateral knee instability, right shoulder tendonitis, pelvic disorders involving the hips, left and right lower extremity sensory deficits. The Veteran's total disability rating precludes locomotion without the aid of braces and canes, meeting the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for financial assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA examination and medical records, as well as to issue a statement of the case for her bilateral hip disability claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right knee disability and determine if there is any left knee disability related to or aggravated by the right knee.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and readjudication, including consideration of a June 2014 VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right hip and knee osteoarthritis, as well as his flat feet, were not incurred or aggravated during service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including his total knee replacement surgery, is rated at 60 percent since September 1, 2014. The claim for an increased evaluation prior to July 2, 2013, remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any right knee disability, as well as whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability chronically worsened his right knee arthritis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain a new VA examination and opinion regarding his claims of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and left knee disability. The examiner must consider the Veteran's lay statements about the onset and continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including left knee disability, gout, hypertension, bronchitis, erectile dysfunction, and irregular bowel dysfunction. The evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.