Knee decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee DJD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are related to his military service. The claims for these conditions have been granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee disability and right testicular cyst excision, finding that the evidence does not support a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for left knee lateral collateral ligament instability and traumatic arthritis, left knee, with arthroscopic scars have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 50 percent for anxiety disorder and a rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative joint disease of the left knee due to the need for additional evidence. The Veteran must be provided with new VA examinations for his left knee and anxiety disorder.

The Board has remanded two issues: entitlement to service connection for an upper back disorder and entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee strain. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine the nature and severity of his service-connected right knee disorder, as well as the etiology of his back disability.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for a bilateral knee disability and higher ratings for hypertension and lumbar disability have been dismissed due to the withdrawal of his claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current VA examinations do not reflect the severity of his service-connected disabilities and therefore, new examinations are needed to determine appropriate disability ratings.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, right knee DJD, and right knee LOE were denied as the effective dates cannot be earlier than October 3, 2011.,There is no new and material evidence to support a claim prior to October 3, 2011.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various disabilities, including left shoulder, right shoulder, low back, left elbow, right elbow, left hand, and right hand disabilities. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee is also being remanded due to a lack of recent VA examination findings.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral knee disability is related to his active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that there was no credible evidence of an in-service injury and insufficient medical evidence to establish a link between his current condition and service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and separate disability ratings have been granted, with a specific rating of 10 percent assigned for left knee arthritis from May 13, 2013.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the Veteran's service-connected conditions, finding that the claims were not valid as they did not challenge the original effective dates assigned in 2003.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities began during service or were otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,Specifically, the Veteran's bilateral hip and knee disabilities, hearing loss, respiratory disability, and scars to his forehead and right arm are not considered to be due to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee instability, limited flexion, and limited extension were denied. The current ratings of 20 percent for each condition are maintained.

The Veteran's right elbow condition is granted as secondary to his service-connected right little finger disability. His left knee arthritis and right knee disability, including arthritis and a lateral discoid meniscus, are also granted.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as service connected. The low back and right knee disability claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's lumbar spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities are not related to service.,PTSD was remanded for further review.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral knee and hip disorders, as they are claimed to be secondary to a service-connected L1 vertebrae fracture. The Veteran's assertions include both that the conditions are related to the in-service fall and that they are due to normal progression of degenerative joint disease.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to a lack of VA examination. The Veteran's claim remains pending.