Knee Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee disability, finding that his pre-existing condition was aggravated by a February 1980 injury during active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder was reopened and granted. He is now entitled to VA compensation for osteoarthritis, status post total arthroplasty, of the right and left knees.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain the Veteran's missing service medical records and conduct further examinations to address his claims for various joint, muscle, neurological, cardiovascular, hearing, and tinnitus conditions.

The Veteran's right knee condition, hypertension, and left knee instability have been granted service connection. The separate initial 10 percent rating for left knee lateral instability has also been restored. Additionally, the Veteran was granted a TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left knee chondromalacia due to the need for additional development and examination.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral shin splints has been granted, and the Board finds that his current condition is related to service. The claims for right shoulder condition (claimed as bilateral shoulder condition), left shoulder condition (claimed as bilateral shoulder condition), memory loss, chronic fatigue, sleep apnea with CPAP, insomnia, right knee condition (claimed as bilateral knee condition), and left knee condition (claimed as bilateral knee condition) have been remanded due to the need for further development.,The Veteran's current conditions are related to service. The claims for right shoulder condition (claimed as bilateral shoulder condition), left shoulder condition (claimed as bilateral shoulder condition), memory loss, chronic fatigue, sleep apnea with CPAP, insomnia, right knee condition (claimed as bilateral knee condition), and left knee condition (claimed as bilateral knee condition) have been remanded due to the need for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, right ankle disorder, and left ankle disorder are remanded due to inadequate examinations and lack of consideration of the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset and continuity of his symptoms.

The Board has determined that the appellant's right knee disability, diagnosed as osteoarthritis, is not etiologically related to any period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA). Therefore, service connection for a right knee disability is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral knee degenerative joint disease has been manifested by painful limitation of extension to no less than 10 degrees and painful limitation of flexion between 110 and 130 degrees. He is currently in receipt of separate initial 10 percent ratings for each knee since June 20, 2013.,The Veteran's bilateral knee instability has been manifested by slight instability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for right hip and knee disabilities due to inadequate opinions in previous VA examinations. The cases are sent back for further examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the bilateral knee and a right shoulder disability, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for the knee condition and concluding that the current right shoulder disability is not related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral knee condition did not begin during service and is not related to any in-service injury or exposure. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that further development is required to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed bilateral foot disorder, low back disorder, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral ankle disorder, and sleep disorder. The case is being remanded for VA examinations.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral knee condition and its connection to his active duty service. The Veteran will need a new examination to determine if his current knee issues are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being returned to the agency of original jurisdiction for further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings have been granted, with a 10% rating assigned for each condition. The effective dates are not specified in the decision.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for Supraventricular arrhythmia (SA), Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Right knee disability, and Left knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other issues.

The Veteran's right knee osteochondroma and instability have been granted an initial evaluation of 10 percent, effective from October 2, 2012. The rating for the right knee osteochondroma was increased to 10 percent in January 2014, excluding a period of temporary total evaluation. The Veteran's right knee instability has also been rated at 10 percent since October 2, 2012.

The Board denied service connection for cervical stenosis, degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, DJD of left shoulder, left knee disability, and left ankle fracture residuals. The Board found that there was no evidence in the service records supporting these conditions or their onset during service.