Knee decisions — 2017

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder and is remanding the issue of service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, to include as secondary to a low back disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations and a vocational evaluation to assess the impact of her service-connected disabilities on her employability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine his ability to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to service-connected disabilities prior to June 30, 2010.

The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection of PTSD or bilateral knee disabilities due to lack of clinical confirmation and no current disability. The claims are therefore denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and higher initial ratings have been denied. The Board found no current medical diagnosis of a groin pull or evidence linking the rib fracture to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability is related to his active duty service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition. The right knee and hypertension claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a retrospective opinion on the Veteran's employability prior to February 11, 2010.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have originated in service, while his bilateral knee disability is not shown to be related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations and further medical opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis has been granted an initial 30 percent disability rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inadequate examination in January 2016. The Veteran needs a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service records and conducting a VA examination. The issues of entitlement to service connection for various joint disorders are now pending before the Board.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left hernia disability and increased ratings for his left knee conditions. The Veteran was found not to have a current diagnosis of a left or right hernia, and his claim for service connection must be denied.

The Veteran's left knee disability warrants a staged rating of no more than 10 percent prior to June 6, 2012, 100 percent from that date until June 6, 2013, and 30 percent (but no higher) from that date.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU and his service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and VA treatment records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pre-existing left knee and right wrist conditions did not undergo an increase in severity during service, and thus cannot be considered aggravated. As a result, the claims for service connection are denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Board videoconference hearing. The issues of entitlement to an increased rating for left knee osteoarthritis and whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen his right knee disability claim are pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of her service-connected lumbar spine and bilateral knee disabilities. The case will be returned to the Board after this additional development.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his left knee disability, which was previously rated as status post repair of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) insufficiencies and multiple surgeries with degenerative arthritis, is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination. The most recent treatment records are outdated, and he underwent revision surgery in 2010.