Knee decisions — 2017

The Veteran's right hip arthritis is granted service connection, and he is awarded a separate rating for his right knee instability. The Veteran also receives an increased rating for his right knee disability.

The Board has determined that service connection is warranted for tinnitus and irritable bowel syndrome (to include as secondary to PTSD), but not for bilateral hearing loss, erectile dysfunction, skin cancer, or degenerative joint disease of the left knee or right knee. The Veteran's hypertension was also found not to be related to service.

The Veteran's left knee strain is not related to military service, and the Board finds that service connection for a left knee condition is denied.

The Board found new and material evidence to reopen claims of service connection for right and left knee disabilities, but did not find such evidence in the case of a claim for PTSD. The decision on the left wrist disability is pending as it was previously denied based on lack of line-of-duty status.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining in-patient hospitalization records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine if his disabilities are related to service.

The Veteran has withdrawn her appeal regarding the claims for service connection for right hip, right thigh, and right knee disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection, initial ratings for bilateral hearing loss and dermatitis. The case will be remanded to allow for further examination and consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed left knee and leg disabilities are not related to his active duty service, including a simple ankle fracture in November 1951. The VA examiner found no link between the current conditions and the in-service injury.

The Veteran's left knee degenerative joint disease prior to June 26, 2014 was rated at 10 percent and from June 26, 2014 to August 18, 2014 at 20 percent.,After the total knee replacement on August 18, 2014, his left knee disability was recharacterized as status post left knee replacement with a minimum rating of 30 percent from October 1, 2015 to September 1, 2016 and since November 1, 2016.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a lack of an in-person examination and the Veteran's refusal to undergo one. The claim will be reconsidered after the requested examinations are completed.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and SSA benefits determination. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated based on the evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, as likely as not, preclude him from obtaining or maintaining gainful employment. The Board finds that the service-connected disabilities are of sufficient severity to preclude the Veteran from maintaining gainful employment and TDIU is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disability, post-total knee replacement since August 1, 2012, is manifested by intermediate degrees of residual weakness, pain, or limitation of motion without evidence of residuals analogous to extremely unfavorable ankylosis in flexion. The criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent have not been met.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the aforementioned issues, and they are hereby dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his right knee disability and left epididymis orchitis with left hydrocele was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development, including obtaining treatment records and providing a VA oncologist's opinion regarding the Veteran's bone cancer and throat disorder.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted prior to June 28, 2016. The issue of TDIU for the period beginning June 28, 2016 is moot due to her combined rating of 100 percent.

The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the left shoulder disability effective May 27, 2014. The Veteran's calluses of the feet are rated at 10 percent each and his hypertension is service-connected.

The Board found that the appellant does not have a current disability for any of the conditions she claimed, and thus denied all service connection claims.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current left knee and left foot disabilities are not a result of his military service, and therefore denied both claims for service connection.