Knee decisions — 2018

The Veteran's hearing loss had its onset in service and has been recurrent since that time, warranting service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes and his bilateral knee disability is not related to service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions cannot be established.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records and schedule him for VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim to reopen the right upper extremity disability was denied as new and material evidence was not submitted.,The Veteran's claim to reopen the left foot disability was reopened due to the submission of new evidence, but service connection is still denied.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinions are not of probative value and additional evidence is needed to determine if the Veteran's conditions are related to her active duty service.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain updated VA treatment records, schedule the Veteran for new VA examinations for his service-connected disabilities, and ensure that all relevant evidence is considered in the decision.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing a new VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee disability and reopened his claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The right knee disability is found to be related to in-service injury, while the psychiatric disorder is found to have a nexus with military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of morbid obesity, sleep apnea, atrial fibrillation with history of acute congestive heart failure, and hypertension as secondary to residuals of a left knee injury with arthritis. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active duty.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee osteoarthritis and hallux valgus, finding no evidence of a link between these conditions and his active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his left knee disability and issuance of a supplemental statement of the case regarding the issue of reopening his service connection claim for a lower back disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations and a review of the claims file to determine appropriate disability ratings.

The Veteran's appeal was granted, with a rating of 30 percent for residuals of right knee replacement and the other issues were not addressed due to lack of development.

The Board finds that the Veteran's right knee arthritis and cervical spine disability are secondary to his service-connected back disability, and grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected orthopedic and hydrocele disabilities have been evaluated based on the criteria provided in the decision. The appeal is denied as there are no higher ratings available under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for patellofemoral syndrome of the right and left knees have been remanded due to new evidence indicating a deterioration in his knee conditions.

The Veteran's asthma is found to be incurred in service, while his right knee disorder is not shown to have been incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by the Veteran, resulting in the dismissal of the case.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee condition secondary to residuals of a left leg tumor biopsy has been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is not entitled to an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for duodenal ulcer. The claims for right knee, left knee, and lumbar spine disabilities have been denied as new and material evidence was not received.