Knee decisions — 2018

The Veteran's right knee is currently rated at 10 percent for painful motion, effective October 26, 2009. The Board finds that this rating is warranted throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus was denied. The Board also found that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen his claim of service connection for bilateral knee disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities, a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to November 24, 2014, and in excess of 20 percent thereafter for cervical strain, and ratings in excess of 10 percent for limitation of flexion of the right and left knees have all been denied.

The Veteran's claim of increased ratings for migraine headaches has been granted. His claims for service connection for Crohn's disease, a back disability, right knee and left knee disabilities, dry eye syndrome with myopic astigmatism, and hearing loss are all denied as new and material evidence has not been received to reopen these claims.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection and finds that there is sufficient evidence to support a finding of service connection for right knee arthritis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining Army Reserve records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his psychiatric disability, hypertension, and low back/knee disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further VA examination and opinions regarding his claimed bilateral knee, ankle, and foot disabilities. The issues on appeal are related to service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back disorder, lumbosacral strain, is related to his period of service and grants service connection for this condition. The other claims for bilateral knee disorder, PSVT, agoraphobia, and OCD are also granted.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his request to withdraw the appeals for whether new and material evidence has been received sufficient to reopen a claim for entitlement to service connection for residuals of hepatitis and entitlement to a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a left knee disability during service or within one year after separation, and the Veteran's current left knee condition is not related to his right knee disability. The right shoulder and right knee disabilities were also not shown to be incurred in service.

The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for the Veteran's bilateral knee disability, as there is no credible in-service event or diagnosis to link his current condition to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a left knee disability and remanded it to allow for further development. The Veteran's current left knee disability may be related to service, but more evidence is needed to establish this relationship.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to schedule him for VA examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding his right foot and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development as there are outstanding VA treatment records and examinations that have not been associated with the claims file.,The Veteran's service connection claim for pseudofolliculitis barbae will be remanded to determine if he has a current diagnosis of this condition, and whether it is related to his military service.,The Veteran's right knee disability, left foot disability, residuals of cold injury of the right hand, and residuals of cold injury of the left hand will be remanded for an examination to determine their nature and etiology.,The Veteran's increased rating claim for plantar fasciitis of the right foot will be remanded for a new VA examination to assess its current severity.,The Veteran's service connection claims for residuals of cold injury of the right hand and left hand will be remanded for an examination to determine their nature and etiology.,The Veteran's increased rating claim for plantar fasciitis of the right foot will be remanded for a new VA examination to assess its current severity.

The Veteran's left knee lateral meniscal tear is granted service connection.,For the period from September 21, 2010 to May 27, 2015, a 10 percent rating for right foot pes planus with metatarsalgia, hallux valgus, and arthritis is granted. A separate 10 percent rating is also granted for metatarsalgia of the right foot.,Effective May 27, 2015, a 30 percent rating for right foot pes planus with hallux valgus and arthritis is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for new VA examinations. The issues on appeal are related to his service-connected depressive disorder, right knee traumatic arthritis, and left knee traumatic arthritis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left and right knee disabilities are related to his military service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities. The case will be returned to the AOJ for this purpose.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The Board also found that there was at least a 50% likelihood that the Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis and right knee osteoarthritis are related to his military service, but did not make a determination on whether these conditions were aggravated by service.