Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, and the Board finds that TDIU is not warranted.

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling under DC 5260 for limitation of flexion. The examination did not show any ankylosis, dislocation, or instability warranting higher ratings.

The Veteran's appeal for TDIU was remanded due to a legal error in the previous decision. The case is now being referred back to the Director, Compensation Service, for adjudication of TDIU eligibility under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b).

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 40 percent, and the Board denied a higher rating. The right ring finger disorder was not diagnosed or found to be service-connected.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's preexisting left knee Osgood-Schlatter's disease was not aggravated by service, and thus denied service connection for this condition. However, the Veteran's current diagnosed conditions of patellofemoral pain syndrome and degenerative arthritis are found to be related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his left knee disability and TDIU, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations to evaluate the current severity of his service-connected lumbar spine and left knee disabilities.

The Veteran's right knee disability, characterized by posttraumatic arthritis and MCL strain, has been rated at 10 percent since March 2010. The RO found that the current rating adequately reflects his symptoms.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current cervical spine, left knee, and left shoulder disorders are related to his service. The VA examiner provided a clear conclusion with a supporting rationale for the GERD and OSA diagnoses.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee osteoarthritis conditions. The evidence received since the prior final rating decision relates to a previously unestablished element of these claims - whether the Veteran had current disabilities and if his conditions were attributable to service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for left knee arthritis and granted it, finding that there is a continuity of symptomatology since service and linking the current condition to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining a supplemental medical opinion from the VA examiner who performed the April 2011 examination and provided the June 2011 opinion. The Veteran's claim of service connection for her right knee disability will be reconsidered based on the additional evidence.

The appellant withdrew his appeals for reopening claims of service connection for a low back disability, hepatitis, left knee disability, lung disability, and hypertension. The Board has dismissed these matters as the appeal was withdrawn.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for a right knee disability. The Veteran's current diagnosis of right knee osteoarthritis is related to his in-service injury, and he is granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability, bilateral foot disability (pes planus and plantar fasciitis), and hemorrhoids are not service-connected due to his dishonorable discharge from active duty.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities, finding that new and material evidence has been submitted. The claim is then adjudicated on its merits, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran is seeking a higher disability rating for his service-connected left knee disruption of the anterior cruciate ligament. The case has been remanded due to potential increase in severity since his last VA evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to obtain missing STRs and to provide a VA examination to determine the etiology of his lumbar spine, bilateral knee, bilateral hip, and bilateral foot disabilities.

The Veteran's bilateral foot, right wrist, left knee, and left shoulder conditions are related to service. The Board grants these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete verification of his Reserve service and for additional development regarding his right heel condition, right knee condition, and sleep apnea.