Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to a scheduling issue for a travel Board hearing. The Veteran's appeal is now pending and will be handled in accordance with appellate procedures.

The Veteran's healed scar, right iliac area residual of bone donor grafting, has been painful for the entire period on appeal and warrants a 10 percent disability rating. The Veteran's service-connected right knee DJD with knee strain is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability and finds that new evidence received since the August 2008 rating decision is sufficient to reopen the claim. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records from Shreveport VA Medical Center and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to evaluate the severity of his service-connected right and left knee disabilities.

The competent medical evidence does not demonstrate that the Veteran's current right knee disorder had an onset during his period of service or is otherwise related to his active duty. The preponderance of the evidence is against a finding that it is proximately caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, diagnosed as major depressive disorder, is due to his service-connected TBI. The remaining issues of service connection for a bilateral eye disability and left knee disability are denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and knee disability. The claims for service connection are being remanded.

The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's current left knee disability is related to his in-service combat activities, and grants service connection for left knee degenerative joint disease.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA outpatient treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a new VA examination to assess his service-connected low back and right knee disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for MALT lymphoma/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, TMJ dysfunction, bilateral knee disorders, hypertension (HTN), and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include bipolar disorder. The Veteran was not given enough time to submit additional evidence before the decision.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection for sleep apnea, right foot disability, left foot disability, bilateral toe disability, and cellulitis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current residuals of a head injury, left knee disability, or right ankle disability and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's representative withdrew the appeal of all issues in this case, stating that the Veteran was satisfied with his 100 percent rating for hypertension and did not wish to proceed further.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for an annual clothing allowance was denied due to the VA Medical Center (MC) in Decatur, Georgia. The denial stated that his braces did not cause wear or tear on his clothes. However, the Veteran provided evidence showing he used braces and claimed they caused damage to his clothes. The Board has ordered a remand to conduct further examination and review of the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pes planus, right knee arthritis, chronic left knee strain, and arthritis of the lumbar spine are related to his active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining his Tricare treatment records from Moody Air Force Base.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left elbow lateral epicondylitis, degenerative joint disease of the right and left knees, right shoulder rotator cuff tendinopathy and impingement syndrome, and left shoulder impingement syndrome are related to service.

The Board found no evidence of a current throat disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, or neck disability that is related to service. The Veteran's complaints and diagnoses are not supported by the medical records provided.

The Veteran withdrew his claims, and the Board does not have jurisdiction over these issues.