Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination and the provision of outpatient records. The issue remains whether she is entitled to a total rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate prior VA medical opinion and missing private medical records. The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is being evaluated in relation to his service-connected disabilities, including prescribed medications.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability and a left knee disability, finding that there was no evidence of chronic right or left knee conditions during his military service. The Board also found that any current knee disabilities are not related to service.,Service connection is currently only in effect for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has ordered a new examination to address the etiology of any current right knee pathology, as the previous VA examiner's opinion was inadequate due to lack of contemporaneous documentation of treatment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his right knee and associated foot conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of June 7, 2012.

The Veteran's post-total right knee replacement has been rated at 60 percent since September 1, 2014.

The Board has determined that the reduction in the Veteran's left knee disability rating from 20% to 10% was improper due to lack of compliance with regulatory requirements. The Veteran is now entitled to a restored 20% rating for her service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for sinusitis has been denied. The issues of entitlement to increased ratings for left knee chondromalacia patella and residuals of total left knee arthroplasty remain pending.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for an annual clothing allowance is granted.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and compliance with Correia v. McDonald (2016).

The Veteran's appeal for educational assistance benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. Chapters 30 and 32 was denied as he did not meet the eligibility criteria based on his service in the Army Reserve.

The Veteran's right knee subluxation is rated at 30 percent since August 27, 2015. A separate 10 percent rating for symptomatic removal of semilunar cartilage has been granted.

The Veteran's combination of service-connected PTSD and degenerative joint disease of the right knee combined to preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment since October 19, 2011.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a disability of the hips or knees that was incurred in service or is otherwise related to any disease, injury or event in service. The preponderance of evidence favors the conclusion that the Veteran's current hip and knee disabilities are unrelated to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a right knee disability due to service and denied his claim.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities cause functional impairments that preclude unassisted balance and propulsion to such degree that the Veteran would be equally well served by use of suitable prosthetic appliance, warranting special monthly compensation based on loss of use of both legs at the knee level.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current low back and bilateral knee disorders did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and there is no evidence of chronicity. The claims for service connection are therefore denied.

The Veteran's right knee disability, postoperative residuals of a medial meniscectomy, was rated at 10 percent from October 26, 2004 to June 9, 2014. The rating was increased based on the severity of his symptoms and limitation of motion.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a grant of service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, and his lumbar spine disability was rated as 20 percent disabling based on painful limitation of motion.