Knee Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a back injury, left knee condition, and left ankle condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for a right knee disability.

The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated at 60 percent, effective December 1, 2014. The appeal for higher ratings has been granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral knee disability is not related to his military service and denied his claims.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left knee and low back disabilities on a secondary basis to his service-connected left ankle disability.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including panic disorder and stress urinary incontinence, have rendered her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder disability and bilateral knee disability are related to his active service, with no evidence of pre-service or post-service incurrence. The claims for service connection have been granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to maintain any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational background.

The Board is remanding the case due to incomplete development of records, particularly from VA facilities where the Veteran received treatment between 1968 and 1980. The claims for right knee disability, left knee disability, and left ear hearing loss will be reconsidered after obtaining any outstanding records.

The Board found that the Veteran's right and left knee degenerative arthritis did not onset in service or within one year of service discharge, and is not etiologically related to service. Therefore, the claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including arthritis and a torn lateral meniscus, was rated at 10 percent prior to August 13, 2002 and from October 1, 2002 through October 7, 2012. A separate 20 percent rating for instability is granted. The Veteran's left knee replacement and revision procedures are rated as 30 percent disabling.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities have been rated as 10 percent disabling each, based on painful motion and degenerative arthritis. The evidence does not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a lumbar spine disability and granted it. The issues of service connection for right hip, left hip, right knee, left knee, right ankle disabilities, and migraine headaches are all addressed on remand.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations of his right knee disability and hearing loss, as the previous evaluations are deemed inadequate.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating at any point.

The Veteran's right knee instability and dislocated semilunar cartilage have been granted increased ratings, with a maximum of 20 percent for the latter. Service connection has also been reopened on new evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as the service-connected right knee impairment does not meet the criteria for a rating greater than 10 percent due to instability, and there is no separate rating for arthritis.,Residuals of a right fifth finger injury are not considered related to active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including right knee and lumbar degenerative conditions, meet the criteria for a TDIU due to their combined effect on his ability to work.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right leg or knee disability other than already service-connected conditions, and therefore cannot establish service connection for these disabilities.

The Veteran's right knee disabilities are rated based on the criteria provided in the rating schedule, and his use of assistive devices is not considered in these ratings. The Board finds that the current schedular evaluations adequately contemplate the Veteran's level of impairment.