Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records from the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater, MA. The case will be returned to the Board for further review.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, low back, and bilateral hip disorders. The decision found that the pre-existing Baker's cyst of the left knee was not aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's PTSD claim is denied as there is no current diagnosis of PTSD.,Service connection for a low back disability is denied as the evidence does not show that it had onset in service or is otherwise related to active duty.

The Veteran's hypertension, right knee DJD, and RLS remain on appeal. The Board has determined that new examinations are needed to comply with the prior remand orders.

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral knee chondromalacia was caused by his service-connected bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis, and therefore grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA examination results and addressing the service connection claims.

The Veteran does not have a current left ankle disability. The VA examiner found no evidence of a chronic condition prior to 2009 in his post-service treatment records, and the Veteran's lay statements regarding continuity of symptomatology were not considered until after the January 2010 VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of the lower extremities, or knee disabilities during any portion of the appeal period.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for traumatic brain injury and arthritis of the back, knees, and fingers have been denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted an effective date of April 21, 2011 for the grant of service connection for instability of both knees. The Veteran is now entitled to a 10 percent rating for each knee since that date.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining his service treatment records and VA examination reports. The case will be remanded to the AOJ for further action.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's collapsed lung was not caused by VA-prescribed medication, and therefore compensation pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is denied.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated as 20 percent disabling, and his hyperthyroidism is rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board found that the current ratings adequately reflect the severity of these conditions.

The evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from engaging in substantially gainful employment prior to November 1, 2004. The Board finds that a TDIU on an extraschedular basis is warranted for this period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back, right knee, and head injury disorders are not related to his active service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for all issues pending before the Board, including increased ratings and service connection claims.

The Board denied an effective date prior to September 4, 2012 for the grant of special monthly compensation at the housebound level due to the Veteran's TDIU being based on multiple disabilities and not a single disability rated as 100%.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for a temporary total rating based on left knee surgery necessitating convalescence under 38 C.F.R. � 4.30.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining additional medical records. The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are at issue.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back, right knee and bilateral hip conditions were not incurred in service or related to his already service-connected left knee condition. The Veteran's headaches are also denied.