Knee decisions — 2017

The Board has requested an additional VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's right knee disability is related to his military service. The current opinion does not address all relevant in-service complaints and injuries, including a fall in January 1975 and a fall in June 1976.

The Veteran's service-connected left knee disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment prior to December 6, 2006.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disability is no longer before the Board.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for osteomalacia of the left knee is being remanded due to inadequate December 2014 VA examination report and need for another VA examination.

The Board found no current disability of the knees, and determined that any diagnosed condition is not related to service. The skin disability was also not linked to service. As for gastrointestinal disability, it was addressed in a separate decision.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and conducting a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's service-connected left knee disorder makes her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative joint disease has been reopened and is granted.,Service connection is also granted for bilateral lower extremity sciatica/neuralgia as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his service-connected left knee strain and entitlement to TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has restored the 30 percent disability rating for the Veteran's left knee disability from August 1, 2010 to August 31, 2011.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain the Veteran's service treatment records and to schedule him for appropriate VA examinations. The appeal will be remanded to allow for these actions.

The Veteran's request for a hearing before the Board has been granted, and his case is being remanded due to scheduling conflicts. The appeal regarding service connection for degenerative joint disease of the left knee will be addressed after rescheduling the hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various forms of arthritis, are related to service. The appeal is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's arthritis of the lumbar spine and left knee were not incurred or aggravated by active service, and therefore, denied her claims for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and opinions to address the current nature and severity of his bilateral knee disabilities, as well as whether or not his claimed ankle disabilities are related to service-connected knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected low back and right knee disabilities were denied by the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral knee disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection. The Board also noted that there is no evidence of diabetes mellitus being related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee instability and osteoarthritis were found to not warrant an increased rating or a higher initial disability rating, respectively.

The Veteran's right lower extremity circulatory disease, blindness, and sleep apnea are not related to service. The Board finds that these conditions were not manifest in service or within one year of separation, and there is no evidence linking them to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for gout, bilateral ankle disability, left knee disability, and aggravation of a pre-existing right knee disability. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service.