Knee Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her scoliosis of the lumbosacral spine, right hip strain, left hip strain, and left knee strain. The evidence did not show that any of these conditions warranted a higher rating under VA regulations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee and left ankle disorders are not service-connected, as there is no evidence of chronic conditions during or within one year after service. The fall in 2009 is considered to be a non-service-related incident.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis of the wrists, elbows, and knees, and hemorrhoids have been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or in-service events that could be related to these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and industrial background, meeting the criteria for a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's right knee osteochondritis with arthritis is currently rated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's failure to report for a VA examination, and requests that he be allowed to attend another examination. The claim will be reconsidered after the examination.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee arthritis and a separate rating of 10 percent for costochondritis. The Veteran's claim to service connect his thyroid disability, left eye disability, back disability, and chronic headaches is addressed in a separate decision.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, and the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, low back disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, left shoulder disorder, and bilateral knee disorders are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Veteran's left knee instability and lumbar spine DJD are currently rated at 20 percent, with no additional ratings for the conditions.

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and his recurrent subluxation/lateral instability of the left knee warrants a separate 10 percent rating. The initial evaluation for hepatitis B (HBV) remains at 10 percent.

The Board has determined that further development is needed before the claims of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disorder, and entitlement to service connection for migraine headaches are addressed. The Veteran's irritable bowel syndrome rating remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the current severity of his service-connected hearing loss, PTSD, and right knee disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee osteoarthritis and degenerative meniscal tear, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between the disability and service or service-connected left knee disorder. The back condition issue remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis, a nervous disorder, sleep apnea, and left knee degenerative joint disease were denied. The Board found no evidence of these conditions in service or within the presumptive period following service.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disability did not begin during service or was otherwise caused by her active duty. The claim for PTSD was also denied as there is no evidence linking the current condition to service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for left knee, right knee, left hip, and right hip disabilities, as well as an increased rating for residual ligament laxity of the right ankle. The Board has dismissed these appeals.

The Veteran's right knee degenerative arthritis is found to be related to her service, and she is granted service connection for this condition. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not shown to be related to her service.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his service connection claims for depression and right knee patellofemoral syndrome with osteoarthritis has been granted. However, the claims are not decided on their merits as there is no current disability found.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss disability has been reopened and granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's current right ear hearing loss disability originated during his period of active duty due to noise exposure in service.

The Board has ordered additional development to obtain VA treatment records from the VAMC in Miami, Florida. The case will be returned for further consideration.