Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's tension headaches, left knee disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder are found to be related to service. The ankle disorder is not currently diagnosed.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection of low back, right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle disorders. Resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, the Board finds that his current diagnoses are directly related to his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for migraine headaches, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, and GERD, each including as due to service-connected right knee arthritis. The Veteran did not experience any current disability related to these conditions that could be attributed to active service or any incident of service.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for his right knee ligament tear and total knee arthroplasty is granted, with a rating of 60% effective October 1, 2016. The Veteran previously had a temporary 100% rating due to convalescence following revision surgery.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations to assess the current severity of his lumbar spine and left knee disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran with appropriate specialists to determine the current severity of his unspecified depressive disorder and bilateral tricompartmental osteoarthritis.

The Veteran's claim for additional clothing allowances is denied as the devices causing damage to his clothing are not used in conjunction with a service-connected disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of his bilateral knee disorder as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability due to lack of evidence supporting a causal relationship between these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The Veteran is assigned the maximum disability rating of 60 percent for his service-connected post-operative right total knee arthroplasty, but no separate ratings are warranted. For his left knee disability, he is assigned a 30 percent disability rating based on limitation of flexion. He was granted TDIU effective April 29, 2010.

The Veteran's left knee disability has been rated at the maximum schedular rating since February 14, 2012. The evidence does not support a higher rating based on additional functional loss or other factors.

The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is not service-connected as it does not have a direct link to his military service.,There is no evidence of a current bilateral hand disorder, and thus the Veteran cannot establish service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's right knee DJD and instability have been rated as 10 percent disabling since the initial grant of service connection. The current ratings are maintained due to the lack of evidence showing more than slight or moderate instability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a memory disability, and his cranial neuralgia and migraine headaches are not incurred in or related to service. The left shoulder, bilateral elbow, right knee, and chest pain disabilities were also not found to be incurred in or related to service. The skin disability was not found to be incurred in or related to service.

The Veteran's left knee disability, characterized by painful motion with normal range of motion on both flexion and extension, is currently rated as noncompensable. The Board has determined that a rating of 10 percent for the left knee disability is warranted based on painful motion, tenderness and swelling.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left knee osteoarthritis and patellofemoral pain syndrome, as well as his obstructive sleep apnea, are all related to service. The claims for increased rating of restrictive lung disease and special monthly compensation have been remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, bilateral knee disorder, and impingement of shoulders. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left knee, right knee, lumbar spine, and right shoulder conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional development at a correctional facility.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for retropatellar pain syndrome of the right knee, to include pes anserine bursitis, was reopened and granted. The new evidence included ongoing treatment records showing a current right knee disability.

The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's right knee and chronic rhinitis disabilities, as her symptoms have worsened since her last VA examinations in January 2013.

The Board has reopened the previously denied claims of service connection for an irregular curvature of the spine and a bilateral knee disability, finding new and material evidence. The claims are now remanded for further development.