Knee Board decisions

The Board has granted entitlement to TDIU on a substitution basis for the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability. The issue of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is remanded due to failure to provide an SOC.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and VA/VA-Medical Center (VAMC) treatment records. The Veteran also needs a new examination for his right knee disability and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left shoulder and knee disabilities, specifically degenerative joint disease, are at least in relative equipoise with his service-connected right knee disability. Therefore, service connection is granted for these conditions as secondary to his right knee disability.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a right knee disability. The VA examiner found the condition less likely due to service, but did not consider his statements of continuous physical training during service and recent treatment records from 2008.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and bilateral knee disabilities combine to preclude him from engaging in substantially gainful employment, which the Board finds is due to his unemployability caused by these conditions. The Board grants TDIU based on this finding.

The Veteran's left knee disability is not service-connected as there is no medical evidence linking his current condition to his active duty service.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disability is not etiologically linked to his active duty service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as his claims for increased ratings and service connection are not supported by the evidence of record.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including instability and associated radiculopathy, is rated at 40 percent effective from March 5, 2013. The right knee disability remains service-connected but no specific rating or effective date was provided.

The Veteran's left knee replacement received a one-year evaluation of 100 percent following the revision surgery on October 20, 2005. The remaining issues are remanded for further examination and consideration.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to engage and retain substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee strain did not manifest during service or within one year of discharge, and there is no evidence to support a finding of continuity of symptomatology. The condition resolved over time and was not caused by any aspect of active service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities and hearing loss are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the Veteran's service connection claims for left knee and right hip disorders. There is no current diagnosis found by the VA examiner, and thus the threshold element of a current disability is not met.

The Board granted separate initial ratings of 20 percent for right and left knee instability, but denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his degenerative arthritis.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities has been rated at 20 percent since April 7, 2009.,Since July 29, 2016, the Veteran's radiculopathy of the left and right lower extremities has been rated at 40 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including an examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's right knee disability and whether it is related to his service-connected lumbar strain.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a VA examination and medical opinion regarding his claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for bilateral knee disability, bilateral shoulder disability, and panic attacks as the result of a VA bone scan on April 30, 2010.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disorder, premature ventricular contractions, excessive potassium levels, and kidney disorder. The claim for left knee disorder is being remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD with major depression and panic disorder with agoraphobia, degenerative disc disease and spondylosis in lower cervical spine, arthritis right foot (status post crush injury and reconstructive surgery to right great toe), and degenerative joint disease, right knee, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.