Knee decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current osteoarthritis of the bilateral knees is not related to his active military service and therefore, denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and providing retrospective medical opinions regarding the Veteran's service-connected degenerative joint disease of the left knee.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's need for a right knee replacement was caused by his in-service right knee conditions, and thus service connection is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and development of the claims, including obtaining medical records and providing adequate VA examinations to address his service connection and increased rating claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hip condition and increased rating for anxiety disorder. The claim for service connection was not supported by competent evidence of a current diagnosis, while the claim for an increased rating for anxiety disorder prior to October 19, 2015, did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Board granted service connection for PTSD, with dysthymia and bilateral pes planus effective March 13, 2009. The Veteran's claims for right knee and left knee disabilities were also granted but assigned an earlier effective date of January 22, 2010.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for appropriate VA examinations to assess his right knee and lumbar spine disabilities.

The January 1985 rating decision denied service connection for left knee medial meniscotomy and right knee medial collateral ligament tear. The Veteran's claim was reopened in September 2010, and the Board granted service connection for both conditions effective February 23, 2010.

The Board finds that the evidence of record is at least in equipoise and grants service connection for a left knee condition.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic back or knee disability in service, and the earliest clinical evidence is not for more than four decades after separation from service. The Veteran's statements regarding parachute injuries are inconsistent with contemporaneous STRs. Service connection was denied as there is no showing of continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination regarding the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's left knee disability, peripheral neuropathy in the left lower extremity, and painful scar on the left knee are rated at various levels. The current ratings for these conditions do not meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Board has granted service connection for left foot, ankle and knee disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right foot pes planus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left knee disorder as secondary to his service-connected right knee disorder, finding that there is no evidence linking the two conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate opinions in a previous VA examination.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease is rated at 100% effective September 11, 2017. His eczema is rated as noncompensable since October 25, 2012.,Service connection for acid reflux was denied, and service connection for right hip and knee disorders were also denied.

The Board denied service connection for micromastia residuals, left foot plantar fasciitis, and shin splints of the right lower extremity. The Veteran's low back strain with bulging disc is rated 20 percent disabling from March 22, 2011 to the present. Her initial rating for right knee disability remains at 10 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability as secondary to the Veteran's left knee disability. The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for acne vulgaris and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been withdrawn. The remaining issues of service connection are addressed in the remand portion.

The Veteran's claims for higher disability ratings for his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities were denied. The Board found the September 2016 VA examination inadequate and remanded for additional development.