Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is currently pending and has been remanded for further development, including adjudication of increased rating claims for his service-connected back and bilateral knee disabilities. The TDIU claim will be reconsidered in light of all pertinent evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The RO granted the claim to assign a rating of 40 percent for status post back injury with lumbar strain and degenerative disc disease, effective May 23, 2008.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability and hypertension are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's right knee conditions, including chondromalacia patella with lateral meniscus tear and degenerative arthritis, subluxation of the knee, and limitation of flexion, are rated at 30 percent under DC 5257 for slight recurrent subluxation or lateral instability.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination and requests for additional medical records. The Veteran's claim of service connection for a right knee disorder will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling of VA examinations and obtaining supplemental opinions to address the severity of her right shoulder and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's intervertebral disc degeneration of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 40 percent, effective December 1, 2007.

The Board finds that the Veteran's claimed bilateral knee disorder is not related to his active service, and thus denies service connection.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for degenerative osteoarthritis of the left knee was granted, but not in excess of 10 percent from March 14, 2007, to October 7, 2008.,A temporary total evaluation for status post left knee arthrotomy was awarded retroactive to March 14, 2007. The claim remained in controversy as less than the maximum benefit available was awarded.,Service connection for a left TKA and a 30 percent rating effective December 1, 2009 were granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including an examination and medical opinion regarding the etiology of any current left knee disability.

The Veteran is unable to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment due to his musculoskeletal disabilities and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with panic disorder, agoraphobia, and dysthymia.

The Veteran's left knee disability, diagnosed as Osgood-Schlatter disease with prepatellar tendonitis, is currently rated at 10 percent for limitation of motion. The evidence does not support a higher rating based on the current range of motion findings.

The Veteran's appeals for higher initial ratings were granted. He was awarded service connection for right knee disabilities, anosmia, and left foot tinea pedis (athlete's foot). Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left knee was denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by service and did not link it to his service-connected left knee disorder. The claim for reopening the previous denial of service connection was granted, but the claim for service connection itself was denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to technical difficulties with the hearing transcript. The case will be returned for scheduling a new videoconference hearing at the RO.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the absence of certain records and an internally inconsistent VA examination report. The TDIU issue has also been raised.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for his claimed left knee, left shoulder, and cervical conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional development of medical records and an opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for a temporary total disability rating due to convalescence following left knee surgery is denied as the criteria are not met.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, diabetes mellitus, and erectile dysfunction were all denied. The Board found no current disabilities to support these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as he is already receiving the maximum schedular disability rating for his tinnitus and does not meet the criteria for an increased evaluation or service connection for any of the other conditions.