Knee Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for low back disability, right hip disability, and right ankle disability. The remaining issues of service connection have been remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of her service-connected disabilities. The claims for specially adapted housing and special home adaptation grants are also remanded.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 20 percent since October 10, 2018. He previously had a 10 percent rating prior to that date.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for right and left knee disabilities, as well as service connection for a lumbar spine disorder were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings or service connection based on direct service connection.

The Board denied service connection for vertigo, chest pain, otitis media and externa, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, and bilateral pes planus as the evidence did not establish a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's disability ratings for instability of the right and left knees were reduced from 20% to noncompensable, but the Board has restored the original 20% rating due to a lack of improvement in function.

The Veteran's ratings for right hip bursitis and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome were restored, a separate rating of 10 percent was granted for painful flexion of the right hip, and service connection for a right knee disability as secondary to a left knee disability was established. The effective date is January 21, 2019.

The Board dismissed the claim for service connection of a right knee disorder as it is still pending in the legacy appeals system.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral tinea pedis, bilateral flat feet, right and left knee disabilities, and diabetes mellitus, type II. The Board found that there is no evidence of any in-service injury or disease related to these conditions, and that they are not otherwise causally related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error and insufficient medical opinion regarding aggravation of the right knee condition during service.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for right hip condition, left hip condition, right knee strain, and left knee strain due to secondary service connection. The effective dates for PTSD, migraine headache disorder, tinnitus, and cellulitis MRSA with left lateral leg scar have been established.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of numbness in left hand and fingers, numbness in right hand and fingers, left wrist strain (claimed as left wrist arthritis), right wrist strain, and right knee condition to include as secondary to right ankle because the appeal was not properly filed.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the initial disability rating for left knee tibial fracture before a decision was made.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee and back disabilities, both claimed as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability. The rating of 10 percent for the left knee strain with degenerative arthritis is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for cesarean section residuals, left knee disorders, and right knee disorders. Service connection for COPD was not addressed as it is pending.

The Board has denied an increased rating for tinnitus and remanded the issue of service connection for degenerative arthritis of bilateral knees. The case is now returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Board denied service connection for peripheral artery disease (PAD) due to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, as the evidence did not show a link between the condition and service. The Veteran's current PAD was diagnosed in May 2015, over 25 years after his time at Camp Lejeune.,The Board also denied service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee, finding that there was no evidence showing a relationship to service or any compensable manifestation within one year post-service discharge.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder due to incomplete information in the record. The AOJ is instructed to clarify whether the Veteran is receiving disability benefits from SSA, obtain any relevant medical records, provide an examination, and readjudicate the claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a heart condition, frostbite of the left foot, frostbite of the right foot, and a left knee disorder were denied. The claim for PTSD was reopened due to new evidence showing possible connections to in-service incidents.