Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as his hearing loss issues. The AOJ will consider any additional evidence submitted during the remand process.

The Board has denied service connection for right and left knee disorders, as well as an initial compensable rating for a forehead scar.,There is no evidence of any current bilateral knee disorder that began during active service or is related to in-service injury or disease.

The Board has remanded several service connection claims due to the need for additional records from correctional facilities where the Veteran served.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions due to lack of new and material evidence. The claims were remanded for a VA examination regarding GERD.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine and right knee osteoarthritis, finding that the evidence is approximately evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to active duty service. The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss were denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (right knee degenerative joint disease, right knee instability, left ankle fracture, and left ankle scar) are rated at a combined 40 percent prior to June 1, 2017. The Board finds that these conditions do not render the Veteran unemployable for substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities alone.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee strain is not related to his service or any service-connected disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's migraine headaches are rated at 50 percent, the maximum rating available under VA regulations.,VA has remanded cases regarding cervical spine conditions, left knee arthritis, right knee patellofemoral syndrome, and tinnitus for further evaluation.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and the claim for a compensable rating is denied.,Service connection for a lower back condition is granted. The Board finds that service connection is warranted based on in-service events and current diagnoses.

The Board has remanded the case for a retrospective opinion regarding the Veteran's service-connected status-post operative left knee with degenerative changes associated with status-post operative right knee replacement with degenerative changes, and also for an effective date earlier than August 15, 2016 for the grant of entitlement to a total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for left knee instability is being remanded due to the submission of new evidence. The AOJ will consider this additional evidence and issue a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for cervical spine disability, bilateral hip disabilities, and bilateral knee disabilities due to lack of adequate medical opinions addressing the Veteran's contentions regarding the onset of his conditions.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records and scheduling a new VA examination.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period prior to September 11, 2011 is being remanded due to failure to refer it for extraschedular consideration.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for left and right knee instability rated under Diagnostic Code 5257 due to concerns raised by the Joint Motion for Partial Remand (JMPR).

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are now granted. Service connection is established for low back disability, left hip disability, left thigh disability, and bilateral knee condition.

The Veteran's increased disability ratings for lumbago, bilateral pes planus, and right knee osteoarthritis have been denied due to failure to attend scheduled VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of PTSD and credible reports of in-service stressors, which are sufficient to establish service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of his right knee disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and active duty.

The Veteran's service connection claim for vaginitis is granted. The Board finds that the current disability is related to vaginal infections during active duty and grants the claim.