Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete medical opinions and lack of discussion regarding certain evidence. The claims are now pending with instructions for additional examinations and opinions.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for increased ratings in several areas, including lumbar strain, left knee strain with shin splints, right knee strain with limitation of motion and shin splints, radiculopathy, left sciatic nerve, and radiculopathy, right sciatic nerve.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss disability for VA purposes and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim. The same is true for left ear hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and right knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new knee examination. The TDIU issue is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the increased rating issues.

The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate examinations and further clarification of the Veteran's conditions.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of right and left knee joint osteoarthritis as they are not related to active service.

The Veteran's right knee disability is being remanded as the VA examiner did not address whether it was aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability. The Veteran contends that his left knee disability caused him to favor his right knee and put more stress on it, leading to arthritis.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated VA or private treatment records and scheduling a new VA examination. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with his left knee disabilities.

The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine is granted as secondary to his service-connected lower back disability. His right upper extremity numbness is also granted as secondary to a service-connected condition, specifically his breast cancer. The Board has remanded several other issues including ratings for his lower back and radiculopathy conditions.

The Veteran has withdrawn her appeals regarding the disability ratings for various knee and hip conditions, leaving no issues to be decided by the Board.

The Board has decided to remand several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims and rating determinations for further development. The Veteran is required to provide information about his treatment providers, obtain relevant VA and private records, and undergo examinations.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for various foot, knee, back, neck, and shoulder conditions due to new evidence. The issues of increased ratings for asthma, migraines, PTSD, and service connection for right knee, neck, trapezius disorder (claimed as back and neck trapezius strain and a right shoulder disorder), thoracic outlet syndrome, bilateral pes planus, metatarsalgia, and left foot tendonitis are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to December 3, 2009. The Board denied his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings due to inadequate VA examinations, lack of proper testing in previous examinations, and need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations to determine the current severity of his lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and left knee disabilities, as well as their impact on his bowels and bladder. The rating assigned will be determined after further examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral knee osteoarthritis has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA or private medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee replacement and left knee replacement, but remanded it due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions have been granted with effective dates based on when he filed his claims, not necessarily when the disabilities were first diagnosed or treated.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is granted service connection. The claims for acquired psychiatric disorder, thoracolumbar spine disorder, and right knee disorder are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for further development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations. The specific issues on appeal include ratings for various service-connected disabilities and a claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance.