Knee decisions — 2018

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for hypertension and remanded other issues related to service connection. The Veteran's claims are also remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and examinations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disability, gastrointestinal disability, and respiratory disability. The evidence does not support a current diagnosis of any of these conditions.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities, specifically his bilateral hip and knee strains. Service connection for the psychiatric disability is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia, bilateral shoulder disability, left hip degenerative arthritis, right hand and left hand degenerative arthritis, right knee derangement and instability, and left knee derangement and instability. The reasons given were that there was no in-service injury or disease linked to these conditions, and the Veteran did not serve in Southwest Asia during the Persian Gulf War.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the appellant withdrew it before a decision was made.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities due to inadequate range of motion testing in the previous VA examination. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it may be affected by the outcome of the increased rating claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating determinations due to insufficient evidence in his claims file, particularly regarding his Reserve service records and treatment records. The Veteran is also required to provide private medical records related to his knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims due to incomplete development of service personnel records and treatment records, including those related to National Guard service. The Veteran's conditions are left elbow, shoulder, knee, ankle, rib, abdominal pain, forehead scar, rash on face, forehead dryness, head injury, hyperventilation, asthma, cervical spine disability, left knee, hypertension.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease and knee conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether he can do so.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions are denied as there is no competent evidence of a nexus between the claimed disabilities and his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete medical examinations and lack of proper verification of a stressor.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to service-connected right knee degenerative joint disease with lateral meniscus tear. The issues are being remanded because of inadequate VA examination reports, specifically regarding the assessment of functional loss during flare-ups.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a left knee disorder is granted. The Board has decided that further development is necessary due to the lack of up-to-date VA treatment records and requests for medical opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensably disabling, and his left knee arthroplasty is currently rated at 30 percent. The case is remanded for further development including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period prior to September 6, 2013 is granted. The Board found that his service-connected disabilities precluded him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment during this time.

Low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities, as well as hearing loss and tinnitus are all granted service connection.,Hearing loss is rated under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, residuals of a left elbow injury, low back disability, left knee disability, and left wrist disability are remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee, foot, and cervical spine disabilities were previously denied. New evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.,Service connection was granted for a headache disorder secondary to tinnitus and major depressive disorder, and OSA was also granted as secondary to major depressive disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left and right knee disorders, finding that there was no linkage between his current conditions and a period of service or a service-connected disease or injury.