Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's chronic gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, diagnosed as GERD and esophagitis, are the result of his active service. His left knee disorder, kidney disorder, low back disorder, and hepatitis B have also been found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for his right knee disability, as well as his TDIU claim are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, degenerative joint disease of the right hip, left hip, right knee, left knee, right ankle, left ankle, cervical spine, and lumbar spine. However, it has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a VA addendum medical opinion to address the relationship between his service-connected knee conditions and any newly diagnosed meniscal tears.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder disability was denied. The initial rating of 10 percent for the bilateral foot disability has been granted, effective March 5, 2013.,For his left knee disability, the appeal is pending and will be addressed in the remand portion.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for cervical spine, right knee, bilateral shoulder, and left hip disabilities. The evidence now shows that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and updated medical records.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee chondromalacia patella, effective from October 24, 2017. The rating is based on painful flexion and lateral instability of the joint.

The Veteran's left knee and lumbar spine disabilities are found to be secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including internal derangement and instability, was found to warrant a separate 10 percent rating from January 3, 2013. The condition did not meet criteria for higher ratings under other diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the impact of her service-connected disabilities on her ability to work.

The Veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and effective dates have been denied. The Board found that the right knee meniscus tear was not caused by his service-connected back and foot disabilities. For benign positional vertigo, the evidence did not support a finding of peripheral vestibular disorder. The bone loss of skull is considered less than a quarter in size. The PTSD with anxiety disorder, OCD, and cognitive disorder alone has rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The TBI residuals have been rated appropriately.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for various conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of any unadjudicated formal or informal claim prior to July 5, 2007.

The Veteran's iliotibial band syndrome and degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees were not found to warrant a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's appeal is currently in remand status due to the need for additional development, including obtaining outstanding VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA examination, and readjudicating the claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a new VA examination and address the issues of his left and right knee disabilities, as well as coccydynia and TDIU.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right big toe disability, left big toe disability, and right knee disability. The Board found that there is no current evidence of these disabilities related to service.

The Veteran was granted service connection for right knee osteoarthritis, thoracic spine compression fractures, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and thoracic outlet syndrome. Headaches were not found to be related to service.,Service connection was established for the Veteran's right knee condition based on continuity of symptoms since service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities have been considered. The left knee is rated at 10 percent, and the right knee has a separate rating of 10 percent based on limitation of extension.