Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been granted. The low back disability and lateral patellar friction syndrome claims are pending as the Board is unable to determine their status due to lack of information.

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at 60 percent effective July 1, 2011. The TDIU claim was granted effective the same date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability and tinnitus are related to his military service, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the claimant. As such, both conditions have been granted service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50% and his right ankle disability remains at 10%. The claims for lumbar spine, right shoulder, right knee, left ankle disabilities are not addressed.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee and middle finger disabilities were denied. The Board found that the current evaluations adequately reflected the severity of his conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for irritable bowel syndrome with peptic ulcer and patellofemoral syndrome, right knee were denied. The Veteran was not granted a separate compensable evaluation for instability of the right knee.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his service connection claims, including obtaining additional medical records and providing addendum opinions from the VA examiner.

The Veteran's hepatitis C is found to be related to service, and his right knee disability is found to have worsened since the last examination. The claims are granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral foot condition (trench foot) has been reopened. The other issues remain pending and are evaluated on their merits.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development to address whether any service-connected disabilities caused or contributed to the Veteran's death from blunt force head trauma, and if so, which ones. The examiner should also consider whether the syncopal episode was part of his service-connected psychogenic headaches and whether Parkinson's disease onset during military service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and a right knee disorder. The criteria for service connection have been met, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD with an effective date of September 18, 2007. The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss and eye disorder was denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD prior to August 30, 2012 and in excess of 70 percent thereafter remains on appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the current severity of his bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been withdrawn. The Board will dismiss the appeal of these claims.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for right knee injury residuals is dismissed. The Board has granted his application to reopen a claim for service connection for a lung disability, but no rating decision has been issued yet.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred or aggravated by service.,His acquired psychiatric disorder (likely depression) is not attributable to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee disability and upper respiratory infection were not shown to be related to service, and thus denied these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back and right knee disabilities are service-connected, with no issues regarding exposure to herbicides or other presumptive conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the right knee was incurred in service, and granted service connection for this condition. The issue of entitlement to service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and conduct a VA examination. The issues are whether he should receive an increased rating for his service-connected tibia and fibula fracture, and if he qualifies for TDIU.