Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations and the provision of outstanding treatment records.

The Veteran's cause of death, cerebrovascular accident due to abnormal clotting due to questionable atrial fibrillation, is being reviewed for potential service connection. The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s service-connected disabilities did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.

The Veteran's vertigo and Ménire's syndrome are granted service connection. The effective dates for the low back disability and adjustment disorder are denied, as is a compensable evaluation for bilateral knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining service personnel records and addressing whether his in-service injury was incurred in line of duty. The issues on appeal will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Board has determined that the current medical evidence is inadequate to ascertain whether the Veteran's service-connected knee disorders alone are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability. The case is therefore being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, cervical spine and right knee internal derangement and arthroscopic surgery have been granted a rating in excess of 20 percent. The left knee scar has not met criteria for a compensable evaluation. The open angle glaucoma with toxic keratopathy of both eyes remains at an initial 10 percent disability rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left hip and right knee disabilities are related to his in-service injury, resulting in service connection being granted for both conditions.

The Veteran's combined service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment, thus meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a left elbow fracture, finding that the Veteran's preexisting condition clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service. The right knee disability is pending as there is insufficient evidence to determine its etiology.

The Veteran does not have current skin, right knee, or left knee disorders that are related to service. The Board finds no evidence of such conditions during service and insufficient medical nexus opinions supporting a link between the current conditions and service.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the receipt of a request for withdrawal prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee disability has been rated at 10 percent since March 2014, based on painful motion. The Board found that the evidence does not support a higher rating due to additional functional loss or instability.

The Veteran's partial anterior cruciate ligament tear of the left knee is currently rated at 20 percent, and his gastrointestinal disorder (claimed as GERD) and gallbladder removal are not service-connected.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected left knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his right knee disability and another opportunity to obtain relevant treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for scheduling a videoconference hearing before the RO. The issues of service connection and increased rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder are pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as the evidence did not show that his disabilities warranted higher initial ratings prior to the effective dates assigned.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and readjudication of the claims. The AOJ will consider all evidence received since the last Supplemental Statements of the Case (SSOC) in conjunction with prior evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral knee and ankle disorders have been rated based on their current severity, with the left knee receiving a higher rating due to its more severe symptoms.