Knee decisions — 2017

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for a bilateral knee disability and low back disability, but denied the claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for residuals of a stroke. The right shoulder disability rating issue is being remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not service-connected as they are not shown to have been incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including arthritis and meniscus injury, is currently rated at 10 percent disabling. The Board finds that the current evidence does not support a higher rating as her range of motion remains within functional limits.

The Board has ordered the case back for further development, including a VA examination and readjudication of the claim. The Veteran is seeking service connection for his left knee disability, which he claims is related to his service-connected left ankle disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, do not render him unemployable. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of total social and occupational impairment due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability manifested by joint pain and osteoarthritis, to include fibromyalgia; thoracolumbar back and cervical spine disabilities; bilateral leg disability; right and left knee disabilities (other than service-connected left knee scars); an abdominal or gastrointestinal disability; respiratory disability (sinusitis and allergic rhinitis). Therefore, the claims for these conditions are denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection for bilateral knee and hip disorders, but denies the underlying matters as the evidence does not establish a link between his current diagnoses and his period of service or his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining legible copies of service personnel and treatment records, arranging for a VA examination to determine the relationship between his diabetes mellitus and service, and scheduling an aid and attendance examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations and the provision of outstanding treatment records.

The Veteran's cause of death, cerebrovascular accident due to abnormal clotting due to questionable atrial fibrillation, is being reviewed for potential service connection. The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.

The Veteran's vertigo and Ménire's syndrome are granted service connection. The effective dates for the low back disability and adjustment disorder are denied, as is a compensable evaluation for bilateral knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining service personnel records and addressing whether his in-service injury was incurred in line of duty. The issues on appeal will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Board has determined that the current medical evidence is inadequate to ascertain whether the Veteran's service-connected knee disorders alone are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability. The case is therefore being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, cervical spine and right knee internal derangement and arthroscopic surgery have been granted a rating in excess of 20 percent. The left knee scar has not met criteria for a compensable evaluation. The open angle glaucoma with toxic keratopathy of both eyes remains at an initial 10 percent disability rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left hip and right knee disabilities are related to his in-service injury, resulting in service connection being granted for both conditions.

The Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment, thus meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a left elbow fracture, finding that the Veteran's preexisting condition clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service. The right knee disability is pending as there is insufficient evidence to determine its etiology.

The Veteran does not have current skin, right knee, or left knee disorders that are related to service. The Board finds no evidence of such conditions during service and insufficient medical nexus opinions supporting a link between the current conditions and service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the receipt of a request for withdrawal prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee disability has been rated at 10 percent since March 2014, based on painful motion. The Board found that the evidence does not support a higher rating due to additional functional loss or instability.