Knee Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute to his death, and concluded that his PTSD did not substantially or materially contribute to his death. The Board also noted that there was no evidence of suicide attempts related to PTSD.

The Board denied an increased rating for service-connected right knee disability in July 2017, and the appeal is dismissed as there are no remaining questions of fact or law to be decided.

The Board has denied reopening of service connection for a right knee disorder, right ankle disorder, and asthma due to lack of new and material evidence. The Veteran's claim for left wrist disorder is not substantiated by the available evidence.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability was not incurred or aggravated during service and is not otherwise related to service, or caused or aggravated by a service-connected condition. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a right knee disability is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's increased rating claim for right knee mild patellofemoral syndrome due to inadequate examination findings and requests a new VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, increased ratings for his knee disabilities and skin condition, and TDIU at an earlier effective date than March 21, 2013. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a direct relationship between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee disability was not incurred in or aggravated during service and is not due to or aggravated by a service connected right knee disability. The claim for increased rating of his right knee disability is remanded as it lacks adequate VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his right knee, left knee, and right hip disabilities. The evidence did not support higher ratings than those assigned.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for left knee arthritis, finding that the first evidence of left knee arthritis was in May 2004, which corresponds to the date of his claim. The earliest possible effective date is therefore March 29, 2004.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left knee arthritis did not manifest during service or within one year of discharge, and there is no credible evidence linking his current condition to military service. The preponderance of the evidence supports a finding against the claim.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claims, including a retrospective VA examination for his lumbar spine disability from 1975 to May 2001, clarification on the removal of the award of a 10 percent rating for degenerative joint disease of the left knee under Diagnostic Code 5261, and a supplemental opinion regarding limitation of extension of the left knee prior to September 15, 2011.

The appeal is being remanded for additional development due to recent changes in the evidence. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered after this new information.

The Veteran withdrew from appellate consideration the issues on appeal, including the increased rating claim for degenerative disc and joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, and the service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, glaucoma, bilateral gynecomastia, status post subcutaneous mastectomy, left and right knee disorders, left and right shoulder disorders, a cervical spine disorder, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right knee disability prior to January 26, 2011 was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion or instability. For the period beginning March 1, 2012, the Veteran is rated at 30 percent for total knee replacement with limited range of motion.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right knee disability and its impact on daily life. The claim will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Board has ordered a new VA medical examination to assess the Veteran's left knee disability, including range of motion and pain during testing. The case is remanded for further development.

The Veteran is granted a 60 percent rating for chronic residuals of bilateral knee replacements from March 14, 2011 to exclude periods of temporary total disability. The ratings are effective as of the date of claim.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for his service-connected left knee disabilities was granted. Effective August 31, 2016, he is now rated at 10 percent for impairment of the left knee and a separate 10 percent rating has been assigned for extension limitation in status post ACL reconstruction of the left knee (prior to March 20, 2006).

The Veteran's left knee disability is granted as secondary to his service-connected left lower extremity radiculopathy. Service connection for bilateral pes planus and right ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain are denied.