Knee decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disorder is related to her active duty service and has granted her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and development of the record.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral knee DJD, finding that there is no evidence linking her current condition to her active duty service.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee condition is not related to service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical opinions regarding her left knee strain and right knee disability, as well as her psychiatric disorder and costochondritis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active service, and therefore grants entitlement to service connection for tinnitus. The right ear hearing loss and right knee disorder claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's right knee disability, as well as whether any pre-existing condition became manifest within one year of service discharge. The case will be remanded for these actions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current left knee disability related to his military service and therefore denied the claim for service connection. The right knee issue is pending as it requires additional development.

The Board denied the reduction of ratings for right and left knee disabilities from 10% to noncompensable, finding that there was no evidence of improvement warranting such a reduction.,The Veteran's PTSD disability is rated at 30%, effective May 12, 2014. The remaining issues related to knees and thoracic spine are not addressed in this decision.

The Board has remanded the claims for higher initial ratings for service-connected low back and left knee disabilities due to new examinations being needed, as well as additional development of records. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with the other claims.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as he did not file a timely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) with the May 2011 rating decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's application to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disorder, finding that the new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical evidence and for further development of his claims.

The Veteran's appeals for a higher initial rating for his left knee disability and service connection for a left hand disability have been denied. The Board found no current right knee disability, and the Veteran has not provided sufficient evidence to establish a current diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis in his hands.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have confirmed bilateral knee arthritis, and therefore, his claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to outstanding records and need for clarification of medical opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of service connection for a right knee disability, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his right and left knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development of evidence.

The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis and instability are currently rated at 10 percent each, with no higher ratings warranted based on the current evidence of record.,Hypertension is currently rated at 10 percent.