Knee decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability had its onset during his period of service and is related to an in-service injury, granting service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed left knee disability, finding that her current condition is not related to an in-service injury and was not shown within a presumptive period.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inaccurate VA examination, and a new examination is needed to determine if the veteran's current right knee disability, including DJD, is related to his in-service injury.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for back and left knee disabilities have been denied as there is no evidence of a direct relationship to her military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The decision also remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for a stomach disorder.

The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected knee and lumbar spine disabilities, as the existing VA examination reports do not comply with the requirements set forth in Correia v. McDonald (2016).

The appeal on most of the issues has been withdrawn and is dismissed. Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, upper extremities, hypertension, gout, asthma, COPD, and right ankle disability have been granted. The remaining issues are remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for arthrosis of the lumbar spine, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder. Service connection for insomnia as a manifestation of PTSD is also granted. The claims for hypertension, headaches, pulmonary disability, sleep apnea, and diabetes mellitus are remanded due to lack of definitive opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disorder has been reopened, but the claim remains denied.,Service connection is granted for right and left knee disorders. The Veteran's current diagnoses of osteoarthritis are not considered to be related to his military service.,Service connection for a skin disorder (due to exposure to mustard gas) is denied as there is no evidence linking the condition to service or to mustard gas exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development and examination to address his claims of service connection, increased ratings, and TDIU.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain private treatment records from the United Brick Masons of Evansville that may be relevant to the Veteran's left knee condition.

The Veteran's left knee condition has worsened, and he is seeking a higher rating. The most recent VA examination did not comply with the requirements in Correia v. McDonald (2016) and Sharp v. Shulkin (2017).

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for depressive disorder NOS, thoracic dextro scoliosis, lower back disorder, IBS, GERD and DJD of the bilateral knees. The Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorders are related to his active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral ankle disability and left knee disability due to insufficient medical nexus opinions. The claims will be returned for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and tinnitus have been granted. However, the remaining claims related to bilateral lower extremity disability, bilateral upper extremity disability, urinary disability, left ankle disability, left knee disability (secondary to left ankle), lower back disability (secondary to left ankle), bilateral hearing loss, and residuals of a ruptured ear drum have been remanded for further development.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for all issues related to the cervical spine, left knee, left hip, lumbar spine, right hip, left shoulder, right shoulder, and right knee disabilities. Additionally, he withdrew his claim for a TDIU prior to June 29, 2016.

The Board has granted service connection for thoracolumbar spine arthritis and left knee osteoarthritis, but denied service connection for fibromyalgia, right knee disability, and abdominal or gastrointestinal disability. The rating for the left knee scar was reduced from 10% to 0%, effective September 1, 2012.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee arthritis is related to service, specifically his tae kwan do training, flight jumps, and running. As a result, service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's right knee and left ankle disabilities, as well as their impact on his employment. The TDIU claim is also being remanded due to its inextricably intertwined nature with the rating claims.

The Veteran's service-connected scars of the right cheek, left neck, and right knee are rated at a compensable level (20%) since May 12, 2012.