Knee Board decisions

The Board has found that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, left knee injury, and right testicular pain are all related to his service. The Veteran is granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and providing a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's service-connected left knee disability, rated at 50 percent disabling, did not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to his death.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded as new VA examinations are needed to evaluate the severity of his knee conditions and determine if they are secondary to a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded as new VA examinations are needed to evaluate the severity of his right knee condition and determine if it is secondary to a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, to include as secondary to service-connected residuals of a total left knee arthroplasty, is being remanded as new VA examinations are needed to determine if the condition is related to his service or aggravated by a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, to include as secondary to service-connected residuals of a total left knee arthroplasty, is being remanded as new VA examinations are needed to determine if the condition is related to his service or aggravated by a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for cervical radiculopathy of the right arm, to include as secondary to service-connected residuals of a total left knee arthroplasty, is being remanded as new VA examinations are needed to determine if the condition is related to his service or aggravated by a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being deferred pending resolution of the above-mentioned claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right and left knee disabilities is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

The Veteran seeks service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right knee, which he contends is related to his active duty service and/or secondary to his service-connected left knee disability. The Board has ordered additional development as requested.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and development of records. The issues include service connection for stomach ulcers, a higher rating for left knee disability, and TDIU.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's arthritis that led to his total knee arthroplasty, specifically whether it was caused or aggravated by his service-connected left foot and ankle conditions.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected hypertension, left knee DJD, and right knee DJD. The RO will need to provide a new rating decision addressing these issues.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee disability and any right knee disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess his left knee condition, as per Correia v. McDonald (2016). The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis is found to be the result of his service-connected calcaneal heel spurs, and thus granted service connection on a secondary basis.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is REMANDED for further development, including a new VA examination and consideration of whether extra-schedular evaluation or special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1114(s) are warranted.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, finding that these conditions are related to in-service injuries. The acquired psychiatric disorder is also found to be related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic back disability, including facet arthropathy at L4-5 and L5-S1, bilaterally, and broad-based disc bulging, is service-connected. The initial ratings for left lower leg compartment syndrome and left knee disabilities are also granted.

The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, with no higher rating possible under the applicable diagnostic codes.,For her lumbosacral spine disability, the current ratings are insufficient to reflect the severity of her condition. The Veteran has a combined range of motion less than 120 degrees and muscle spasm or guarding severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or spinal contour such as scoliosis, reversed lordosis, or kyphosis.,The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is rated at the maximum allowable under the applicable diagnostic codes.,Her right lower extremity radiculopathy also warrants a rating of 20 percent based on the severity of her symptoms and functional impairment.,For her headaches, the current ratings are insufficient to reflect the severity of her condition. The Veteran experiences characteristic prostrating attacks occurring on average once a month.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to address the etiology of the Veteran's metastatic malignant melanoma and Meniere's disease. The claims are currently pending.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings of his right ruptured biceps tendon with right shoulder impingement syndrome and torn rotator cuff, bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, and right knee disability were denied. The RO found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.