Knee decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions, including bilateral hip disorder, lumbar spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, and left knee disorder, have been denied as secondary to his service-connected right knee osteoarthritis. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for varicose veins.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities are found to be secondary to his service-connected Achilles tendon disability.,The Veteran's bilateral hip disabilities are also found to be secondary to his service-connected Achilles tendon disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequate reasoning in the examination reports and incomplete medical records. The Veteran will be provided with updated VA examinations to determine if his disabilities are related to service.

The Board has determined that the June 2011 VA examination is inadequate and remands the case for further development, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling a new examination to determine the nature and etiology of any knee disorders.

The Board has granted service connection for a headache disorder and denied the remaining issues on appeal. The Veteran is now entitled to increased ratings for his PTSD with alcohol abuse, tinnitus, traumatic brain injury, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary before a decision can be reached on the merits of the underlying claim for increased ratings for right and left knee synovial osteochondromatosis.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment, thus meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA records and arranging for the Veteran to be examined by an orthopedist to assess the current severity of his service-connected right shoulder and right knee disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative changes and PTSD, but denied service connection for a left knee disability.

The Veteran is granted a temporary total rating for three months based on his service-connected right knee strain and medial meniscectomy following surgery, with the condition that he must return to work after convalescence.

The Board has remanded the claims due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination regarding his left knee disability, as the previous one was inadequate. The examiner must consider the Veteran's in-service injury and current medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee, right ankle, lumbar spine DJD, left knee DJD, right hip condition, and residuals of a left pelvis fracture are caused by his service-connected residuals of a right foot fracture.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar strain, left knee disability, and left hip dislocation have been granted. He is currently in receipt of a 10 percent rating for each condition.

The Veteran's right knee disability has been evaluated as 10 percent disabling based on cartilage, semilunar, removal of symptomatic. A separate 10 percent rating is granted for arthritis with painful motion.

The Veteran's appeal of the left knee disorder claim has been withdrawn, and thus this issue is dismissed. The right knee disability rating claim remains in appellate status.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disorders, residuals of a left wrist injury, and psychiatric disorder have been denied as there is no evidence to support these claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's back and left knee conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor are they related to her service-connected right ankle condition. The evidence did not support a finding of secondary service connection for the left knee condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right hip disorder, left hip disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder are not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected DDD of the lumbar spine.,Service connection for these conditions is therefore denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to determine if the Veteran's left knee disability is related to service or secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.