Knee Board decisions

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and verifying service periods.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his right knee disorder and any related functional loss. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with the other issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnosis of left knee arthritis is related to an in-service motor vehicle accident, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a low back disorder and left knee disorder, finding that there was no clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut the presumption of soundness at entry into service and that any current conditions were not related to military service.

The Veteran's service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities caused or contributed to his increased frequency of falls, which led to a hip replacement and subsequent infections. The Board finds that the service-connected conditions are the principal cause of death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his bilateral knee, back, hip, and right hand disorders. The examiner will assess whether it is at least as likely as not that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated during service.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection, increased ratings, and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the earliest date of entitlement was January 31, 2011.,VA regulations do not allow for an earlier effective date for hepatitis B as it did not meet the criteria for a 10 percent evaluation prior to January 31, 2011.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee pain and a rating in excess of 20 percent for his low back disorder. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was remanded but not addressed in this decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability and whether his service-connected right knee disability caused or aggravated it.

The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the October 1956 rating decision that denied service connection for right knee disability. The Veteran's claim was not granted due to a rebuttable presumption of soundness, which was supported by evidence from his military records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his left knee disability and ensure proper range of motion testing.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis was granted. He received initial schedular ratings of 30 percent for his right eye aphakia and left eye nuclear sclerotic cataract, which were increased to 50 percent effective January 6, 2009. The Veteran also received a compensable rating (20%) for his residual right knee scar. Additionally, he was granted TDIU prior to December 17, 2008.

The Veteran's right knee flexion and extension conditions have not been shown to meet the criteria for a higher evaluation, as his range of motion has consistently been nearly normal.

The Board has remanded the case due to a scheduling error for an examination and notification of the examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate medical opinions and other procedural issues.

The Veteran's right knee disability has been rated at 10 percent since July 2002. The December 2016 VA examination found slight joint instability, flexion limited to more than 60 degrees, extension limited to less than 5 degrees, arthritis without occasional incapacitating exacerbations, and pain.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluation of left knee disability, service connection for a lumbar spine disability secondary to his left knee disability, and service connection for bilateral hip disability secondary to his left knee disability have all been denied.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and TDIU was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for her left knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for joint pain in the shoulders, knees, and ankles as due to an undiagnosed illness. The Veteran's right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome is rated at 10 percent, effective September 21, 2017.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Statement of the Case and scheduling of a videoconference hearing.