Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at 30 percent, the highest available for limitation of flexion. The Board granted a TDIU effective May 2, 2005.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development to include obtaining a VA examination with opinions regarding both aggravation and secondary service connection.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for increases in the staged ratings assigned for tinea versicolor, lumbosacral strain, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, and left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The Board has decided to remand the case for a new VA examination of both knees, including x-rays of the right knee. The Veteran's left knee disability is being evaluated in relation to service connection.

The Veteran's left knee disability is characterized by painful range of motion, with full extension and limited flexion to 90 degrees. The preponderance of the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral knee disabilities, degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, and an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD and MDD) were denied as there was no evidence to support service connection. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a diagnosed condition in service or during the appeal period.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right lower extremity is rated at 20 percent, and his lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent. The sinusitis rating remains unchanged, while the chondromalacia rating has been increased to 20 percent.

The Veteran's left shoulder disorder is rated at 20 percent, effective December 1, 2006. Service connection for a low back disorder and a left knee disability are granted.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's left knee disability was caused or aggravated by his active duty service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current right knee disorder, diagnosed as chondromalacia, is related to his military service. Therefore, the claim for service connection has been granted.

The Veteran's right knee disability is granted service connection. The claims for left knee and low back disabilities, secondary to the right knee disability, are remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including Lyme disease and its residuals, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral shoulder disorder, memory loss, lumbar spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, headaches, cognitive impairment, dizziness and poor balance, tinnitus, heart disorder, splenomegaly, diffuse myelitis, organic disease of the nervous system (to include chronic pain), and radial neuropathies of the feet and hands were denied as these conditions are not related to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to scheduling issues and will handle any further development as required.

The Board has determined that further development is needed before the claim of service connection for a bilateral knee disability can be adjudicated.

The Board has determined that additional medical opinions are needed to address the etiology of the Veteran's left ear hearing loss, lumbar spine disorder, and bilateral knee disorder. The appeal is being remanded for these purposes.

The Veteran has withdrawn all issues on appeal, specifically referencing his claims relating to the left ankle, back, knees, warts, lipomas, left elbow, and GERD.

The Veteran's right knee disability was reduced from a 30 percent rating to a 10 percent rating without considering the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 3.344, which governs reductions in ratings that have been in place for more than five years. The Board has restored the 30 percent rating effective June 1, 2011.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The right knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent for limitation of extension, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was characterized as encompassing any diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran meets the criteria for a compensable rating based on multiple non-service connected disabilities, as his service-connected conditions clearly interfere with normal employability. The issue of entitlement to a compensable disability rating for folliculitis is remanded.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's right shoulder disability is related to service, and thus grants service connection for a right shoulder disability.