Knee decisions — 2018

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the representative indicating a desire to withdraw all issues related to TDIU prior to January 20, 2009 and evaluations for his knee and asthma.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment since September 21, 1994. The Board granted TDIU on an extraschedular basis for the period from September 21, 1994 to February 28, 1998.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric, low back, and left knee disabilities. The case is now before the AOJ for further review.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee disability is not etiologically related to his active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied all the issues on appeal, including service connection for various conditions and reopening of a claim related to migratory polyarthritis or Reiter's syndrome. The Veteran did not have diagnosed left knee, left ankle, psychiatric, or heart disorders.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various conditions, including low back disorder, GI disorder, anemia, left knee disorder, CVA, and prostate cancer. The appeals were based on direct service connection rather than presumptive exposure to herbicides or other agents.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete VA examination records and the need for a new orthopedic examination.

The Board previously denied service connection for a left knee disability, but the case is being remanded due to insufficient medical opinion and consideration of lay statements.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hammertoe disability was denied. The Board also found that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the April 1998 decision assigning an effective date of February 19, 1996, for the award of TDIU.

The Veteran's low back condition, bilateral knee conditions, and muscle condition were not shown to be related to his period of honorable active duty service.,There is no evidence of a current disability for hypertension or an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD).

The Board has vacated its October 2017 decision and found that the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, to include arthritis, is denied.

The Veteran's right knee disability underwent an increase in severity during service and is considered to be aggravated by that service. The Veteran has a history of pneumothorax, which may have contributed to his hearing loss. Service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability and cervicogenic headaches were not incurred in or aggravated by service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities have been rated based on their underlying conditions, with the left knee receiving a higher rating due to its post-arthroscopy status. The right knee has received a lower rating as it is not post-arthroscopy.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the effective date for service connection of PTSD could not be earlier than September 26, 2008.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 5260 for limitation of flexion. The TDIU claim is granted as the service-connected disabilities preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his right knee degenerative changes, status post ACL reconstruction, was denied as he failed to report for a scheduled VA examination without good cause.

The Veteran's left knee disorder is found to have started during service and continues today, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability, but denied service connection for neck and low back disabilities on the basis that they are not related to service or any service-connected condition.

The Veteran's bilateral knee retropatellar pain syndrome has been rated at 10 percent since June 3, 2009. The effective date for TDIU due to service-connected disability is granted as of June 3, 2009.