Knee decisions — 2017

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that it is secondary to his service-connected left knee and/or right ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of a right wrist fracture is denied as there is no evidence that the current condition is related to his military service. For his left knee disability, he was granted a combined rating of 20 percent prior to February 29, 2016.

The Veteran's case is being remanded for further development, including scheduling new VA examinations to assess the current severity of his service-connected knee disabilities and obtaining recent medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability is not related to his service, including a period of ACDUTRA in 1994. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current right knee disability is not related to his active duty service and denies the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back disability is caused or aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability, and thus grants entitlement to service connection for a back disability.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a chronic left knee disorder existing continuously since service, and the weight of the evidence is against a finding that the Veteran's current left knee disability was caused by his in-service injury. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a left knee disorder has been denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of her left knee and right knee disabilities, as well as a higher evaluation for her left shoulder disability, were denied. The current ratings assigned are appropriate.

The Veteran's right knee disorder and left shoulder disability have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current right knee disability related to service or the service-connected left knee condition, and there was insufficient medical opinion to support a finding that the right knee disorder is secondary to the service-connected left knee condition.

The Board has ordered additional development to verify the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors for his PTSD claim and to obtain VA treatment records. The right knee disorder issue will be remanded for an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for his osteoarthritis of the right knee status post total knee replacement has been granted, with a 60 percent disability rating effective from September 13, 2016. The maximum available rating under Diagnostic Code 5055 is assigned.

The Board denied reopening of claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, with the exception of a reopened claim for left foot condition. The bilateral knee disability and other issues remain denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is not in need of regular aid and attendance or permanently bedridden due to his service-connected disabilities, thus denying his claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance/housebound status.

The Veteran's right knee disability is not manifested by limitation of motion or instability that would warrant a rating greater than 10 percent. However, the Board has granted a separate 10 percent rating for slight lateral instability.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including his status post total left knee replacement and degenerative arthritis of the left knee, has been granted increased ratings. The left knee replacement received a 30% rating prior to July 17, 2012, and a 60% rating thereafter. The initial disability rating for degenerative arthritis of the left knee was also granted.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability, right knee replacement, bilateral hip disability, and left foot disability have been denied. The Veteran is not entitled to a compensable rating for his hearing loss, nor does he meet the criteria for TDIU.,Service connection has also been denied for the Veteran's right knee replacement, bilateral hip disability, and left foot disability.

The Veteran's right knee disability, post-total knee replacement, is rated at 30 percent from June 1, 2011. The Board found that the condition met the criteria for a 60% rating but only granted a 30% evaluation based on the current effective date.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for VA examinations to assess his right knee disability and bilateral shoulder disabilities. The issues of service connection for a left shoulder disability and a right shoulder condition are also being addressed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a disability for which service connection is sought. As such, no service connection is granted.