Knee Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee and ankle disabilities pre-existed service and were not aggravated by in-service injury or incident. The TDIU claim was denied as his disability rating is less than 60% for the relevant period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right lower extremity below-the-knee amputation is not related to his service-connected condition and instead is linked to his non-service connected diabetes. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's right knee disability was previously rated at 30 percent, effective May 2007. The rating was reduced to 20 percent effective October 20, 2009 due to improvement in the condition.

The Veteran does not have a current bilateral knee disorder and has not had such a disability at any point since filing his claim for service connection.,Veteran does not have a current tinnitus disorder and has not had such a disability at any point since filing his claim for service connection.,The Veteran does not have a current nasal disorder and has not had such a disability at any point since filing his claim for service connection.,The Veteran does not have a current dental disorder that qualifies for VA disability compensation purposes stemming from his active duty service.

The Veteran's appeals for hyperlipidemia, left wrist disability (carpal tunnel syndrome), left ankle strain, and left knee strain have been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a Board hearing. The claims of service connection and increased ratings are not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his bilateral knee, back, and pes planus disabilities.

The Board has dismissed the appeals due to the appellant's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.,A VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability, chronic lumbar strains, and bilateral pes planus.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the appellant's request for withdrawal prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was granted service connection. Service connection for left elbow, left shoulder, right ankle, and right knee disorders were denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or a service-connected disability. Service connection for thoracolumbar spine disorder, testicular pain, chest pain (costochondritis), stomach pain, and headaches was also denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for removal of a right kidney is denied, and his claims for increased ratings for PTSD and diabetes mellitus are not currently in dispute as they were previously addressed by the RO.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development, including provision to the Veteran of a Statement of the Case on the issue of an initial compensable disability rating prior to January 26, 2011, and higher than 30 percent since January 26, 2011, for prostrating headaches. The Board also remanded the issues of service connection for urinary tract infection and an acquired psychiatric disorder as well as entitlement to higher initial ratings for prostrating headaches.

The Veteran's service-connected schizophrenia contributed substantially in causing his death due to uncontrolled diabetes, which was a result of the Veteran's non-compliance with insulin medication. The Board finds that the Veteran's schizophrenia led to his insulin non-compliance and thus combined to cause death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability, characterized by painful flexion and slight instability, does not warrant a higher rating at any point during the appeal period.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee DJD is related to his service, granting service connection.,Similarly, the Board determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine DDD was also related to his service and granted service connection.

The Veteran's right knee patellofemoral syndrome is currently rated at 10 percent, and his social phobia disorder results in occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks. His anxiety does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals on the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for right knee chondromalacia, left knee chondromalacia, and allergic dermatitis.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability resulted in a 20 percent initial rating since October 20, 2016.,Initial ratings of 10 percent were assigned for the service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board has also remanded several issues, including scheduling a videoconference hearing.