Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's bilateral knee disability is related to his active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that there was no credible evidence of an in-service injury and insufficient medical evidence to establish a link between his current condition and service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and separate disability ratings have been granted, with a specific rating of 10 percent assigned for left knee arthritis from May 13, 2013.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the Veteran's service-connected conditions, finding that the claims were not valid as they did not challenge the original effective dates assigned in 2003.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions as the evidence did not support a finding that any of these disabilities began during service or were otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.,Specifically, the Veteran's bilateral hip and knee disabilities, hearing loss, respiratory disability, and scars to his forehead and right arm are not considered to be due to service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee instability, limited flexion, and limited extension were denied. The current ratings of 20 percent for each condition are maintained.

The Veteran's right elbow condition is granted as secondary to his service-connected right little finger disability. His left knee arthritis and right knee disability, including arthritis and a lateral discoid meniscus, are also granted.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as service connected. The low back and right knee disability claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's lumbar spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities are not related to service.,PTSD was remanded for further review.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral knee and hip disorders, as they are claimed to be secondary to a service-connected L1 vertebrae fracture. The Veteran's assertions include both that the conditions are related to the in-service fall and that they are due to normal progression of degenerative joint disease.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to a lack of VA examination. The Veteran's claim remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability is at least as likely as not related to his in-service injury, and therefore grants service connection for a right knee disability.

The Board has decided that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's below the knee amputation of the right leg was caused by or aggravated by his service-connected residuals of frostbite to his foot.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining new VA examination reports and consideration of the newly added medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension is service-connected, as evidenced by high blood pressure readings during active duty and a VA examination confirming current diagnosis. The knee osteoarthritis claim requires further review due to the need for an additional VA examination considering the average amount of days spent on active duty, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA each year in the reserves.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and knee degenerative joint disease were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition during the periods in question.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death, and the Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, stenosis of the lumbar spine (claimed as back injury), and actinic keratosis (claimed as facial and torso basal cell condition). The claim for bilateral knee condition is still pending. The appeals are remanded due to incomplete records and need for further medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the cases of tinnitus, low back disability, right hip condition, and right leg (knee) condition for further development. The Veteran's claims are not about service connection at all in these cases.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The issues of rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee instability, right shoulder mild degenerative joint disease, and left shoulder degenerative changes have been remanded for further review.