Knee decisions — 2018

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of various conditions, including bilateral shoulder, hip, knee, ankle disabilities and depression. The claims for left ear hearing loss were reopened based on new evidence received since the April 1985 rating decision.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disability. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a dental disability, left knee disability, bilateral foot disability, gastrointestinal disability, and migraine headaches. The reasons given were that the evidence did not support an in-service event or disease related to any of these disabilities.

The Board has denied an increased rating for chronic thoracolumbar strain with degenerative disc disease and has remanded issues of service connection for right hip, left hip, and left knee conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left ankle, right ankle, and left knee disorders are remanded due to the need for updated examinations that comply with VA examination requirements.

The Board has remanded the cases due to a lack of recent VA examination for the service-connected lumbosacral strain and left knee strain.

The claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for a medial collateral ligament tear of the right knee is being remanded due to insufficient examination findings and additional VA treatment reports need to be considered.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder is reopened and granted. A 10 percent rating is assigned for the right great toe fracture.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability, hypertension, and headaches. The appeals are granted to this extent only.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right knee disorder and hypertension due to additional development being required.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for increased ratings on multiple conditions, including left shoulder bursitis, thoracolumbar strain, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, hip osteoarthritis, knee patellofemoral syndrome (both knees), ankle post-operative changes, sinusitis, and hiatal hernia with GERD.

The Veteran's appeal was partially granted, with a 30 percent evaluation for painful motion due to degenerative joint disease of the left knee from May 6, 2011 through September 24, 2014. The Veteran also received a separate 10 percent evaluation for instability due to the same condition during that period. However, his appeal regarding TDIU was not addressed and is being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ was implicitly denied in the July 2011 rating decision. The Board granted an effective date of May 16, 2013, for this benefit. The right knee and pes planus issues are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and bilateral knee disability, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that would support these claims.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has dismissed the appeals due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a right eye disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder.,A separate 20 percent rating is granted for a torn meniscus in the right knee, but a higher rating for traumatic arthritis remains denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for DJD of the left and right knees, DJD of the lumbar spine, hypertension, and an acquired psychiatric disability (claimed as depression and insomnia) due to inadequate examination reports and lack of nexus opinions.

The Veteran's cervical spine strain with degenerative spondylosis was denied as not caused by his in-service motor vehicle accident.,An increased rating more than 10 percent from January 26, 2015 and continuing thereafter for the lumbosacral spine disorder was denied due to limited range of motion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disorder, PTSD, and diabetes mellitus, type II have been granted. The decision on the merits is pending.