Knee decisions — 2018

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection of Obstructive Sleep Apnea due to withdrawal by the Veteran. The claim for service connection of Right Knee DJD is denied as there is no evidence linking the current condition to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the severity of his right knee and shoulder disabilities, including assessing functional loss due to flare-ups.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records from 1975 to 1976 and from 1987 to 1989. The appeal will be returned to the AOJ after completion of this development.

The Board has granted service connection for traumatic arthritis of the right knee, finding it attributable to service. However, the left knee disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and arthritis may not be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of right knee, left knee, right hip, or left hip disabilities and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a new VA examination of his right knee.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee osteoarthritis and found that the Veteran's left knee condition is at least as likely as not related to his active service. The earlier effective date claim was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for a temporary total rating based on convalescence for his service-connected left knee disability was dismissed due to his failure to cooperate and provide necessary information or forms.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to ensure a complete record and fair evaluation of the Veteran's claims. Specifically, new examinations are required for her lumbar spine, left knee, and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome disabilities, as well as obtaining any outstanding VA treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that new and material evidence was not received to reopen his left shoulder disability claim. The Veteran's hearing loss and knee disabilities were also denied. His right shoulder disability was rated at 20 percent, and his skin and wrist conditions did not meet criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee stress reaction and degenerative joint disease did not have onset during active service, were not manifested by arthritis within one year of service discharge, and are not otherwise etiologically related to active service. As such, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back condition, right lower extremity nerve condition, and left lower extremity nerve condition are not established as service-connected. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for right and left knee disabilities is being remanded due to incomplete records, need for a new examination, and additional pertinent information.

The Veteran's bilateral pterygium was found to not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,Service connection has been established for his bilateral knee and lumbar spine disorders, both of which are related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining private medical records and providing a new VA opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability and her bilateral knee disability.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and service connection were denied. For bilateral hearing loss, the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating. For migraine headaches, the Veteran's period of service from May 25, 1982 to May 27, 1988 was dishonorable due to willful and persistent misconduct, thus preventing him from receiving VA benefits related to that period. Service connection for right and left knee disabilities were also denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at the maximum for cartilage, semilunar, dislocated, with frequent episodes of 'locking', pain, and effusion into the joint. The claim for increased rating has been granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the current evaluations assigned for his left knee, cervical spine, right knee disorder, low back disorder, migraine headaches, and hypertension were appropriate.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current disabilities for bilateral hearing loss, knee disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, or left foot disability. Therefore, service connection cannot be granted.