Knee decisions — 2018

The Board has granted service connection for lumbosacral strain, degenerative arthritis of the spine and intervertebral disc syndrome with right lower extremity radiculopathy. The other claims were denied.

The Veteran was granted service connection for headaches, left knee strain, right patellar tendonitis, bilateral elbow strain, bilateral wrist strain, and bilateral shoulder strain.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was denied.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for right knee osteoarthritis was dismissed because the Veteran limited his benefit sought to a temporary total disability rating for his recent surgery.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for further examination and evaluation.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and needs further evaluation of the Veteran's left knee disability, including its relationship to service-connected right knee disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral flat foot, low back disability (spondylosis), and left knee disability (osteoarthritis) as there was no evidence of a current disability or a link to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability has been reopened, and the Board is remanding the case to schedule an examination and obtain additional medical records.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee and hip arthritis, hypertension, and OSA. The Veteran's left and right knees were not shown to have manifested within the first year after discharge from service, and there is no evidence of a chronic disease during service or within one year post-service. For his hips, the preponderance of evidence does not show that he had hip arthritis to a compensable degree within one year of separation. The Board also denied service connection for OSA as it was proximately due to his service-connected depression and hypertension.

The Veteran withdrew his claims for service connection for PTSD, right knee disability, and left knee disability.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and left knee degenerative arthritis, finding that the current disabilities are not related to in-service noise exposure or injury.

The Board has granted a separate rating of 20 percent for recurrent subluxation of the right knee under Diagnostic Code 5258, which is the maximum and only rating permitted for such impairment. The Veteran's service-connected depression due to another medical condition with depressed features was also recently granted an evaluation of 50 percent effective October 25, 2017.

The Veteran's left knee TKA is related to his service-connected right knee disorder, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's arthrofibrosis of the left knee with limitation of motion, status post manipulation under anesthesia is granted compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to a delay in physical therapy treatment after his total left knee arthroplasty.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, uncontrollable twitching, vertigo, PTSD, asthma, skin disability, and bilateral knee disabilities are denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or link to exposure at Camp Lejeune.,There was no medical opinion linking any of these conditions to exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of a right elbow disorder and right upper extremity neuropathy are remanded.,The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for various conditions, including right wrist sprain, lumbar strain, hip trochanteric bursitis, ankle sprains, and headaches, are also remanded.

This decision denies service connection for vertigo, eye irritation, a left knee disability, shortness of breath, and a disability manifesting in memory loss, fatigue, and numbness of the left leg (claimed as demyelinating disorder and multiple sclerosis). The claims are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is rated at 50 percent, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's right knee disability, specifically related to flare-ups and repetitive use.

The Veteran's use of his VA-issued knee brace for his service-connected right knee disability tends to wear or tear his clothing, and the Board has granted a clothing allowance for 2015 based on this.

The Veteran's right knee brace caused tears in his clothing, and the Board granted a clothing allowance for calendar year 2014 based on this evidence.