Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by his representative, and thus the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's folliculitis, low back disability, chronic right ankle sprain disability, and left hand/thumb disability are all found to be service-connected. The Veteran's right thumb disability is not service-connected. A rating in excess of 10 percent for the scar from head surgery is granted.

The Veteran's right hip arthritis and status post total right hip arthroplasty are rated at 90 percent effective January 24, 2014.,For the period from June 1, 2017, the Veteran is entitled to a rating of 90 percent for his left knee degenerative joint disease, strain and total left knee replacement.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are not properly adjudicated and requires additional development, including a review of his history as a paratrooper.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to verify periods of active duty, inactive duty training, and obtain VA examinations addressing the Veteran's left shoulder condition, low back condition, knee conditions, and bilateral foot condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted TDIU.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be service-connected, and he is granted a 20 percent rating for his left knee meniscal disability with painful limited motion. He is also granted a 20 percent rating for his left knee instability.

The Veteran's back disability and current coronary artery disease are found to be related to service, while his right knee condition is not.

The Veteran's combined disability rating meets the criteria for a TDIU, but he is not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities alone as they do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee strain, depressive disorder and schizoaffective disorder, back injury, and chest injury. The claim for left knee strain was reopened due to new evidence showing a current diagnosis.

The Board has remanded the appeal due to the need for additional development, including new VA examinations and obtaining outstanding VA treatment records.

The Veteran's left leg shrapnel residuals, including a left ankle condition and left big toe condition, are not related to his military service.,His right shoulder condition is not related to his military service. The Veteran has no credible evidence of such an association.,The Veteran's headaches have not been shown to be either a chronic disability or etiologically related to military service.,The Veteran's sleep apnea was not present until many years after service and is not related to his military service.,His right knee condition has not been shown to be related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's left knee disorder will be evaluated again based on the new evidence and testing.

The Board has dismissed the appeal of the hysterectomy claim. The Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, sinus disorder, and right knee disorder have been denied. The TDIU claim is also denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current low back, bilateral knee, and bilateral hip disabilities are not proximately due to or worsened in severity beyond normal progression of the respective disease by the service-connected cavus disease of the feet.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee and right shoulder disabilities are related to his active duty service, warranting service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents and the condition did not manifest during or within one year after service. The Veteran's TDIU claim was also denied due to lack of sufficient additional service-connected disability to bring his combined rating to 70 percent or more.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that there is not sufficient evidence to establish a causal link between his current osteoarthritis and his in-service injury.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, specifically left knee arthritis and right knee arthritis, were granted increased disability ratings. The Veteran was also awarded separate disability ratings for his service-connected instability of the knees.