Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the AOJ for preparation of an SOC and consideration of his claims, including TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including prostate cancer and back and knee conditions, require regular aid and attendance of another person due to his inability to dress or undress himself, keep himself clean and presentable, attend to the wants of nature, and perform daily activities with coordination issues.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 10 percent rating for his right knee disability is denied as the finality of the December 1990 rating decision cannot be overcome without clear evidence of error, and there is no indication that new and material evidence was submitted within a year of the decision. The Veteran did not file any claims or have any pending claims until March 2007.

The Veteran does not have a permanent total service-connected disability, and therefore does not meet the criteria for Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35 of Title 38 U.S.C.A.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 10% disability rating for his right knee disability was denied as there is no evidence of increase in severity prior to the October 2009 claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities are denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the etiology of his lumbar spine arthritis with left leg numbness and left knee arthritis conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease, have rendered him unable to maintain any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational background.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and initial compensable ratings have been withdrawn. The Board has dismissed the remaining claims due to lack of appeal.

The Board found that the Veteran's fibromyalgia is not secondary to her service-connected bilateral knee disability and denied both her claim for service connection and her TDIU claim.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on multiple conditions have been dismissed as the Veteran has withdrawn his appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development of her service treatment records, specifically from the Oakland Naval Regional Medical Center and Tripler Army Hospital. The AOJ will conduct a thorough search for these records and provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.

The Board found no evidence of a left knee condition related to service, and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that service connection is granted for cold injury residuals of the upper and lower extremities. The Veteran's left knee disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder (including a cognitive disorder, organic anxiety disorder, and dementia), and hearing loss are all related to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that there is no current evidence of a bilateral knee disability, and thus the Veteran does not meet the first criterion for service connection. As such, the claim must be denied.

The Veteran's low back disability is found to be aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability. His left knee disability, characterized by limitation of flexion and painful motion, warrants a 10 percent evaluation.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities did not warrant ratings higher than 10 percent throughout the period on appeal, as her range of motion was consistently within normal limits and she did not experience additional functional loss due to pain or other factors.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed back, hip, knee, and ankle disabilities did not have onset during active service or within one year of service discharge. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right lower extremity varicose veins and knee strains were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition.