Knee decisions — 2018

The Board has reopened the claims for residuals of a left knee injury, hemorrhoids, sleep apnea (recharacterized as an acquired psychiatric disorder), and PTSD. However, service connection cannot be established as the Veteran's conditions are not shown to have been incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations, records review, and further development.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to properly adjudicate the appellant's claims for service connection of his thoracolumbar, right knee, and left knee disabilities. The case is REMANDED for additional development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right knee disabilities, tinnitus, and jaw disorder. The Board found that there is no evidence showing a nexus between these conditions and her military service.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain outstanding private treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for a VA examination of his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee and left shoulder disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during service, and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining relevant private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of her ankle and knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete service treatment records and insufficient medical opinions regarding her left knee and low back disabilities. Additional development is needed, including a new VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional medical inquiry to determine the nature and etiology of his right knee disorders, including whether they are related to service-connected residuals of Arnold Chiari malformation status-post surgical decompression.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a right shoulder disability for which service connection may be granted. The Veteran's restless leg syndrome is rated at 10 percent since December 1, 2011.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions regarding his back disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination and the need for additional evidence. A new VA examination will be conducted to assess the severity of his right knee instability.

The Board finds that an earlier effective date of April 1, 2011 for service connection and a higher rating of 10% for left knee instability and patellofemoral syndrome are not warranted. The RO's decision to assign the February 14, 2013 effective dates is upheld.

The Veteran's appeal for residuals of a sphincterotomy surgery is granted. The Veteran also withdrew his appeal regarding the left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee disability, diagnosed as osteoarthritis, was not incurred during her military service and is unrelated to any incident or injury sustained therein. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development due to the need for updated VA treatment records and examinations of his left knee, left shoulder, and left foot disabilities. The TDIU issue remains on hold as it is inextricably intertwined with the increased rating claims.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for left knee disability was denied. The Board found that the effective date for service connection should be April 27, 2012 and that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to October 24, 2013 or in excess of 30 percent as of February 1, 2016.

The Board has determined that the Appellant did not serve in active duty for training or active duty, and therefore is not considered a veteran. As such, he cannot establish service connection for any of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, as well as service connection for hypertension, coronary artery disease, and rheumatoid arthritis were denied. The maximum disability rating of 60 percent was assigned for the Veteran's total knee arthroplasties.