Knee Board decisions

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the issue of entitlement to service connection for right knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal regarding increased evaluations for various service-connected conditions has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his claims prior to a decision being made.

The Board has determined that there is no credible evidence of in-service orthopedic injuries, and therefore service connection for left knee, right leg, and right ankle disorders cannot be established.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on Aid and Attendance and/or Housebound is being remanded due to the need for VCAA-compliant notice and a VA examination.

The Veteran's postoperative residuals of a total right knee replacement are rated at 60 percent since July 1, 2013. The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is not entitled to an increased rating.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including prostate disability, chronic fatigue or exhaustion with shortness of breath, neuropathy in the lower extremities, numbness of the arms and hands, headaches, acquired psychiatric disability (claimed as mood disorder secondary to general medical condition), left hand arthritis, left knee arthritis, and skin disability (chloracne).

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disability and a skin disorder (claimed as dermatitis and chloracne) due to the lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including his postoperative ACL reconstruction and meniscal tear, is currently rated at 10 percent. The Board granted a temporary total rating for convalescence following surgery from July 7, 2010 to October 31, 2010. The Veteran was also awarded a separate 10 percent rating under DC 5003 for painful noncompensable limitation of motion.

The Board has dismissed the appellant's appeals for service connection on several issues due to her withdrawal of those appeals prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for right knee degenerative joint disease, left ear hearing loss, migraine headaches, and allergic rhinitis have been granted effective from August 19, 2013. The Veteran is now rated at 10 percent for each of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's right knee disability and service, as well as secondary service connection.

The Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for a left shoulder disorder due to injury at VA facility in July 2007 are dismissed as moot because his right and left knee disorders have been granted service connection.,His claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for right knee osteoarthritis is not affected by the grant of service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone are not of such nature and severity as to have prevented him from securing or following any substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for right hand, left hand, and bilateral knee disorders. However, the claim remains denied as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbar strain, right knee sprain, and recurrent left ankle strain are being remanded due to inadequate VA medical examination reports that failed to comply with the Court's holdings in Mitchell v. Shinseki and DeLuca v. Brown.

The Board has granted a rating of 20 percent for the Veteran's left knee disability and a separate 10 percent rating for his right knee instability/subluxation, both effective from September 2015.

The Veteran's appeal for TDIU was dismissed due to his failure to provide necessary releases for VA to secure Workers' Compensation records, which are critical for evaluating his employability.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the increased rating for PTSD with brain syndrome and residuals of a shell fragment wound of the right knee, as well as the TDIU issue.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right total knee replacement warrants a rating of 30 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 5055. The evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Board found no evidence of an in-service injury or incident that resulted in the Veteran's current right knee disability, and thus denied service connection for this condition.,For his left knee disability, the Board determined there was insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the condition and service. The Veteran's left knee disability is not considered related to any incident during active duty.