Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to assess her service-connected knee conditions and bilateral pes planus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disability as secondary to his left ankle disability and an increased rating for his left ankle disability. The evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims, and the current ratings are deemed adequate.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for right knee meniscal tear residuals including partial medial meniscectomy residuals and granted service connection for left upper back shell fragment wound residuals. The Veteran sustained a shrapnel injury during combat in November 1969, which resulted in current disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled travel Board hearing. The case will be returned to the RO to schedule another hearing.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a hearing before the Board. The case will be returned to the Board after the scheduled hearing.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the disability rating for restrictive lung disease from 60 percent to 30 percent, effective February 1, 2010 was proper. The Veteran's appeal regarding increased evaluation of his right knee and right hip bursitis is remanded due to lack of a Statement of the Case (SOC).

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings was withdrawn. The Board found that the Veteran's tension headaches most closely approximated a 30 percent disability rating, based on characteristic prostrating attacks occurring once per month over several months. For his right ankle sprain with mild degenerative joint disease and arthritis of both knees, he is currently rated at 10 percent each.

The Veteran was rendered unemployable as of May 21, 2013, solely due to his multiple service-connected disabilities and this has continued unabated since that point in time.

The Veteran's service-connected right elbow ulna spurring, right hand middle trigger finger, and left hand middle trigger finger disabilities have been granted with a 10% rating each. The Veteran does not have any other service-connected conditions addressed in this decision.

The Board is remanding the claims for further development, including obtaining service treatment records and arranging for a VA examination to address the Veteran's TBI and other claimed disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disorder is not related to his military service and denied his claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension, residuals of a stroke, bilateral hearing loss, heart disorder, and left knee disorder are all service-connected.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability and an increased rating of 40 percent for the right leg deep vein thrombosis with varicose veins, effective April 21, 2011.

The Veteran's maxillary sinusitis is rated at 30 percent, but not greater. The Veteran's right knee disability has not been manifested by limitation of flexion to 30 degrees or extension to 15 degree, even considering complaints of pain, nor has there been objective evidence of instability or dislocated semilunar cartilage.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee degenerative joint disease is not related to her service or a service-connected condition, and denied her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's right knee condition, post total knee replacement, has not been manifested by chronic residuals consisting of severely limited motion (to include as due to pain), severe weakness, ankylosis in flexion between 10 and 20 degrees, flexion limited to 45 degrees or less, extension limited to 10 degrees or more, or nonunion of the tibia or fibula with loose motion, requiring a brace. As such, his claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent is denied.

The Veteran's right knee lateral meniscus tear and arthritis prior to October 2, 2014 are rated at a 10 percent disability level.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded for further development, including consideration of the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) if the schedular criteria remain unmet.

The Board has remanded the claim for a TDIU due to an increase in severity of the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability and to obtain any pertinent VA medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee degenerative arthritis was not manifest in service or to a degree of 10 percent within one year of separation and is unrelated to service. The Board also found no relationship between any current right or left shoulder disability, as shown by MRI reports from July 2014, and service.