Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if any current knee disabilities are related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and consideration of his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for updated medical records and consideration of evidence submitted since the last decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of her service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining Reserve service records and providing the Veteran with a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his right knee disability and hiatal hernia and GERD.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's assertion that his preexisting left knee disability increased in severity during service, and denied both claims for service connection.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals on all issues of entitlement to service connection, higher initial ratings for PTSD, degenerative joint disease of the left knee, remote right ankle fracture with degenerative joint disease, bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to substantiate the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, a low back disability, bilateral knee disabilities, and right shoulder disabilities. This includes verifying duty status during ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA periods, obtaining VA examinations, and updating treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him incapable of gainful employment consistent with his educational background and occupational experience.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for left knee arthritis with scar or left knee instability.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for degenerative arthritis, right knee. The Veteran's current diagnosis of degenerative arthritis in his right knee is found to be related to his active military service.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted. The Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability as defined by VA standards, and the evidence received since the August 1998 rating decision is not new and material.

The Veteran's right knee disability, which includes a history of total knee replacement surgery, is currently rated at 30 percent since October 1, 2010. The Board found that the symptoms do not warrant an increased rating as there was no evidence of severe painful motion or weakness, extension limited to more than 30 degrees, or nonunion of the tibia and fibula with loose motion.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as he does not meet the criteria for a clothing allowance due to lack of indication from a designated VA party stating that his knee orthotics tend to wear or tear clothing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's Osgood-Schlatter's disease, right knee, with chondromalacia of the patella is due to service and has been aggravated by service. As a result, service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable, and the Board grants entitlement to a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability, sinusitis, and left knee disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied across multiple conditions and issues. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of frostbite, chest pain, right arm disorder, left wrist disorder, right shoulder disorder, left elbow disorder, or right foot disorder. The back disorder claim was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including new VA examinations and consideration of extraschedular considerations.