Knee Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical opinions and the need for additional records. The Veteran's bilateral knee disorder is being reviewed again to determine if it was incurred in service or related to his service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development to determine his duty status during reserve service in the United States Coast Guard and United States Navy Reserve, as this will impact whether his contended onset dates occurred during periods of service when he was a Veteran for VA purposes.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for left shoulder, right shoulder, lumbar spine, left hip, right hip, and knee disabilities due to additional evidence being associated with the claims file.

The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, a skin disability, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The right knee disability was remanded.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his left knee condition was denied. He is now entitled to separate ratings for limitation of extension and instability.,His claim for an increased disability rating for plantar fasciitis, left foot, is remanded.

The Board has denied service connection for all claimed disabilities, including low back disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right hip disability, left hip disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions are related to military service.

The Veteran's increased ratings claims for left knee limitation of flexion and right knee limitation of extension were granted, while his service connection claims for bilateral shin splints, cervicalgia, ankle disability, and left hamstring grafting were remanded. The Veteran was also denied an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the claims due to a need for another medical opinion regarding the Veteran's left knee disabilities and their impact on his employment.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for recurrent right and left knee disabilities, including degenerative arthritis. The examination report is deemed inadequate due to its lack of addressing the Veteran's contentions about in-service injuries.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service treatment records are incomplete and have not been obtained. The case is being remanded to obtain these records, as well as any relevant personnel records from his National Guard service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus had its onset during active service and has been present continuously since then, meeting all elements of Shedden v. Principi (381 F.3d 1163).

The Board has decided to remand the claims for additional information and medical opinions regarding the Veteran's back, left lower extremity radiculopathy, left knee, and left hip disabilities. The VA will obtain more detailed retrospective medical opinions on the severity of these conditions during a specific period.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee and left ankle disabilities, as these conditions are alleged to be secondary to a service-connected lumbar strain. The VA will obtain new medical opinions addressing whether these disabilities were caused or aggravated by the service-connected condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are pending, and the issue of recognizing his spouse as a dependent is remanded due to its inextricability with these other claims.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for various disabilities and a rating increase, as additional VA clinical documentation was recently added to the record.

The Veteran's right knee disability, characterized by severe instability and noncompensable loss in range of motion on flexion, is granted a 30 percent rating effective April 29, 2009.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his knee conditions and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a cardiac condition are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and clarification of diagnostic codes.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee strain, residuals of medial and lateral meniscal tears in the right knee, and asthma, all determined to be related to events during active duty.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for COPD, bilateral knee disability, chronic pancreatitis, back disability, and acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety and depression).

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen claims for service connection for hypertensive vascular disease, left knee problems, peptic ulcer disease (claimed as stomach ulcers), and gastroduodenitis condition. Therefore, the claims remain denied.