Knee Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's left knee, right knee, and low back disorders as secondary to his service-connected left ankle disorder. The right ankle disorder was not addressed in this decision.

The Board has remanded the case to determine if the combined effects of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities warrant an extra-schedular disability rating, as the current schedular ratings do not adequately contemplate the collective impact of his conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the submission of additional VA treatment records after the last decision, and because the previous knee examinations may be inadequate. The case will be returned to the Board for further action.

The Veteran's eye problems, including glaucoma and dry eyes, are service-connected. However, his arthritis of the right knee and left knee are not service-connected.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disorder as secondary to his service-connected right knee disabilities and denied entitlement to a higher rating for his lumbar spine strain with degenerative disc disease and spondylosis.

The Veteran's chondromalacia of the right and left knees do not meet the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent under applicable DCs, as there is no evidence of limitation of motion or instability that would warrant such a higher rating.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen claims for service connection for cholelithiasis, splenectomy residuals, liver disorder, low back disorder, and disorders of both knees. However, the Board has not reached a final decision on whether these claims should be granted.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a left knee disability, and finds that new and material evidence has been submitted. The Veteran was initially denied service connection in September 1994 due to lack of chronic left knee disability documentation. However, recent medical evidence supports a current diagnosis of a left knee derangement, which is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining new evidence and scheduling VA examinations to address the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder with an evaluation of 50 percent effective August 23, 2012. The left knee disorder issue remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee tendonitis and a left ankle disability are related to her active service, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the increased ratings he was seeking for his right hip stress reaction and right knee patellofemoral syndrome with shin splints.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his left knee disability and service connection for a left shoulder disability were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting any of these claims.

The Board has ordered a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's right knee disability due to inadequate previous examinations. The case is now remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorder and TDIU due to his service-connected low back disability. The evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection for the bilateral knee disorder, as there was no in-service injury or disease related to this condition. The examiner opined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disorder is not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected low back disability. The Board also found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for TDIU based on his combined rating of 50%.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination to determine the etiology of the claimed neck disability and whether it is proximately due or permanently aggravated by service-connected low back and knee disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee injury and left ear hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's left knee disability, post-total arthroplasty, does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent under Diagnostic Code 5055.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the current severity of his right knee and femur disabilities, as well as service connection for a back disability. Additional medical records are needed from VA facilities in West Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The Veteran's left knee disability did not present such an exceptional or unusual picture that the available schedular evaluations are inadequate for the period from February 1, 2009 to January 13, 2014.