Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability, which may be related to service. A VA examination is needed to determine if there is a link between the current condition and service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and examination due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee chondromalacia with degenerative joint disease due to a lack of adequate examination and incomplete medical records. The case is being returned to VA for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment on and after March 1, 2011. The Board granted a TDIU rating of 60 percent effective from that date.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral knee and hip arthritis, as well as headaches, have been granted with effective dates of October 18, 1996, for the knee and hip conditions, and January 16, 2009, for headaches.,An initial rating in excess of 10 percent is denied for right knee arthritis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his claims, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the severity of his hearing loss and psychiatric disabilities, as well as the nature and etiology of his right knee condition.

The Board has vacated parts of the January 2018 decision and remand due to lack of due process. The claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for neck, right shoulder, and right knee disabilities are reopened. Service connection for PTSD is also addressed but requires additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran is unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities, which include degenerative arthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome, tinnitus, right hip disability, left hip disability, right knee disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, bilateral hearing loss, allergic rhinitis, left sciatic radiculopathy, reactive airway disease, a right knee baker's cyst, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, left inguinal herniorrhaphy, and chronic maxillary sinusitis. The Veteran meets the schedular requirements for eligibility to individual unemployability.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain the Veteran's complete service treatment records and to ensure all relevant medical records are considered in evaluating his claims. The case will be remanded for these purposes.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations for both knee osteoarthritis and obstructive sleep apnea are inadequate, and thus remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a right knee disability, a psychiatric disorder including PTSD and an adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood, and alcohol dependence due to new evidence added to the record after the May 2016 Supplemental Statement of the Case.

Service connection for limitation of extension of the left and right knees, as well as degenerative joint disease with instability of both knees, is restored effective June 1, 2014. The disability evaluations are also restored to 10 percent each.

The Veteran is entitled to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities as of June 10, 2014.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to determine the current severity of the Veteran's right elbow, left knee, and right knee conditions. The rating for anxiety disorder remains unchanged.

The Veteran's clothing was damaged by a brace he uses for his service-connected left knee disability. The Board has granted payment of a clothing allowance for the calendar year 2014.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions, including PTSD, knee disorders, erectile dysfunction, and obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board has granted service connection for a right hip disability and left knee disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability. Additionally, it has assigned a 60% rating effective March 29, 2017, for the Veteran's right knee status-post total knee arthroplasty.

The Board denied service connection for low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's right and left knee chondromalacia with associated degenerative joint disease, as their symptoms did not warrant a higher rating based on limitation of motion or instability.