Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient consideration of continuity of symptomatology from service to present time and failure to consider a stressor event. The Veteran will be afforded VA examinations to address his remaining claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right knee arthritis due to insufficient evidence in the record regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for right and left knee conditions, hypertension, and herpes zoster virus (shingles) are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations.,The Veteran is presumed to have been exposed to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam. His testimony about his in-service helicopter crash injury is considered material evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right foot, left foot, vascular, hip, and knee disabilities as well as his acquired psychiatric disorder, all of which are found to be proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected orthopedic injuries.

The claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for left knee replacement is denied. The claim for TDIU is also denied as the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for shin splints and denied increased ratings for knee, ankle, and foot osteoarthritis. The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities were rated under Diagnostic Code 5260 (limitation of flexion) with a maximum rating of 10 percent each. Separate 10 percent ratings were granted for right and left knee instability. Separate 30 percent ratings were granted for right and left foot osteoarthritis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected conditions, including right lower extremity deep venous thrombosis, left shoulder tendonitis, left knee patellar tendonitis, right knee degenerative joint disease with Baker's cyst, and lumbar degenerative disc disease. The evidence did not support granting any higher ratings than the current 20 percent for these conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and TDIU as moot due to the Veteran's current 100% rating.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee, right ankle, and left ankle disorders, finding that these conditions had their onset during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to obtain substantially gainful employment during the periods of TDIU claims from July 29, 2013 to June 3, 2014, and from July 31, 2015 to October 18, 2016. From December 1, 2016 to March 1, 2017, the Veteran's combined disability rating was 90 percent, which rendered his TDIU claim moot due to the assignment of a 100 percent schedular rating.

The Veteran's right knee disability is not rated higher than noncompensable due to lack of limitation of motion.,A separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability has been granted.,The Veteran's right shoulder disability does not warrant a rating in excess of the current 20 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's flat feet, finding that it was present at birth and not aggravated by service. The left knee injury and right knee pain claims were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.

The Veteran's right knee scars are not associated with underlying soft tissue damage and do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,There is insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran’s low back disorder or left knee disorder are related to service. The Veteran should be provided another opportunity for an examination.,The Veteran has been diagnosed with depression, which may be related to his in-service motorcycle accident. A VA examination is needed to assess the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorders.,VA examinations are needed to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected right knee arthritis and instability.

The Veteran's left femur fracture with scars and knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent for the entire initial rating period from June 24, 2009. The appeal for a higher rating remains before the Board.

The Veteran's right and left knee patellofemoral syndrome are each rated at 10 percent, as the evidence does not show more than limitation of motion.,The Veteran's kidney stones are currently rated at 30 percent due to recurrent stone formation requiring diet therapy.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for low back disability, left knee disability, and diabetes mellitus, type 2 due to inadequate VA examinations. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disability, IBS, and bilateral lower extremity sciatica. The claim for hypertension was remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities due to inadequate examination findings in January 2018.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 10 percent prior to December 20, 2018 and at 20 percent thereafter. The effective date for the separate award of LLE radiculopathy has been granted from July 19, 2018.,The Veteran's left knee DJD and right knee DJD are both rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's increased ratings for numbness of the left foot and great toe, as well as residuals of a cyst excision of the left knee area, are denied. The Veteran’s service connection claims for Hepatitis C, prostate cancer under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, right knee condition, herniated lumbar disc (claimed as lower back condition), and TDIU are remanded.,The VA examiner is to provide an addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's service connection claims for prostate cancer under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 and his right knee and lumbar spine disabilities.