Knee decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded several claims for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing VA examinations to address the nature of the Veteran's claimed conditions and their relationship to her service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right and left knee strains, and PTSD have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service noise exposure or continuity of symptoms postservice sufficient to establish service connection.

The Veteran's representative withdrew the appeal regarding a higher rating for his left knee disability, which was dismissed as a result.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and missing treatment records, requiring further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of low back, left knee, right knee, or right foot disorders and therefore denied her claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted for right knee condition, left knee condition, and back condition. The claim for acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) has been denied.,Service connection for a back condition is denied as the evidence does not support a link between injury in service and current disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and hemorrhoids, finding no current disabilities and insufficient evidence to establish a link between any in-service injuries or conditions.

The Board has decided to remand three of the Veteran's claims due to outstanding private treatment records and an inadequate VA examination for his left knee disability. The Veteran will need to provide information about his Tricare provider and orthopedic surgeon, and a new examination is required to assess the severity of his left knee condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the cause of death and Agent Orange exposure. The appellant seeks service connection for the cause of her husband's death, which is believed to be related to his service-connected conditions and potential Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, and dermatitis have been granted. The claim for right ear hearing loss is being remanded.,An initial compensable rating for dermatitis has been granted with an effective date of October 14, 2014.

The Board found that discontinuance of VR&E services based on a negative feasibility determination was proper due to the Veteran's maladaptive behaviors and functional limitations, leading to denial of his appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a higher rating for left knee disability due to lack of recent VA or private treatment records and need for a new examination.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations.,The Veteran's left knee postoperative scar is currently rated at noncompensable, and no higher rating is warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has remanded the TDIU claim for the period from June 17, 2008 to June 15, 2009 due to the finality of the previous decision and the need for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for depressive disorder, left knee degenerative joint disease, and post-operative chondromalacia of the left knee have been dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.

The Board has remanded three issues: initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the right knee, and service connection for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the left knee. A new VA examination is required to determine the severity of the Veteran's service-connected hearing loss and to assess whether his DJD of the knees was caused by active service.

The Veteran's service-connected knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board has ordered a remand for further evaluation.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was reduced from 50 percent to 30 percent, but the rating was restored.,The Veteran is found unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities and receives a TDIU.,SMC based on loss of use of one or both feet is denied as there is no anatomical loss or loss of use of a hand due to service-connected disabilities.,SMC based on loss of use of the left hand is also denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations.