Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and consideration of his claims for increased disability ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining missing service records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to obtain relevant medical records and determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board found no evidence of a causal connection between the Veteran's current knee and lumbar spine conditions and his military service, thus denying service connection for these disabilities.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have onset during service and is presumed incurred therein. The Board granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and development of his claims, including a right knee disability and sinus bradycardia.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral elbow and knee disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during service, and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

The Board has granted a separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability, effective February 13, 2015. The Veteran's service-connected right knee disability is currently rated at 20 percent.

The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated as 20 percent disabling prior to November 3, 2015, and 40 percent disabling from that date. The Board has found that the Veteran warrants a separate 10 percent rating for painful limitation of flexion.

The Board has ordered a new examination to determine if the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are related to his service, specifically his parachute jumps. The case is being remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disability with degenerative arthritis is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including an examination and opinion regarding the etiology of his knee disability.

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted. The evidence does not show more than slight instability or ankylosis of the left knee.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and service-connected right knee disability did not prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to September 15, 2006. The Board found that his other service-connected conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder and lumbosacral strain, also did not render him unemployable.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service-connected knee and back disabilities, including lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease at L4-L5 with limitation of motion, right knee status post-ligament damage, right knee traumatic mild degenerative arthritis with loss of motion, left knee laxity of the medial collateral ligament, and left knee traumatic osteoarthritis with limitation of motion. The appeal is currently pending due to a need for additional VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new examinations and medical opinions to address the severity of his service-connected left knee and thigh conditions, as well as the nature and etiology of any claimed left hip condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability, left knee disability, and hypertension. The Board found that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to these conditions, and that any current disabilities were not related to service.

The Board has granted initial compensable ratings of 10 percent for right and left knee strains, but denied the claim for an increased rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis. The Veteran's service-connected conditions are rated based on their direct effects rather than any presumption or secondary theory.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional private treatment records and further consideration of his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is granted. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence supports a finding that the Veteran has sleep apnea that had its onset during his active military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a psychiatric examination to address the secondary service connection aspect of his PTSD claim.