Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a VA examination and opinions regarding the Veteran's right knee disability and left knee disability. The issues on appeal are service connection for the right knee disability as secondary to the left knee disability and increased rating for the left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is entitled to a 20 percent rating for residuals of a right ankle fracture with osteoarthritis beginning on April 23, 2009. The Veteran's claim for service connection for sinusitis has been granted and an initial noncompensable rating was assigned.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for reopening his service connection claims for left knee and right wrist disorders, as well as his claim for an increased rating for low back strain. The evidence did not present new and material information to reopen any of these claims.

The Veteran's lumbosacral spine disability is rated at 60 percent, but the claim for a higher rating remains denied.,The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent, and the claim for a higher rating remains denied.,The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 10 percent, and the claim for a higher rating remains denied.,The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at 10 percent, and the claim for a higher rating remains denied.,The Veteran's partial avulsion of right biceps muscle is not compensable, as it approximates slight limitation of function of Muscle Group V.,The Veteran's fungal infection of the bilateral feet is rated at 10 percent, but no more. The scars are painful on examination.,The Veteran's GERD is rated at 10 percent, and the claim for a higher rating remains denied.,The Veteran's migraine headaches are rated at 30 percent, and the claim for a higher rating remains denied.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a bilateral knee disability. The Board has determined that additional development is necessary, including obtaining her complete service personnel records and Reserve duty medical records, as well as scheduling the Veteran for an orthopedic examination to determine the nature and etiology of any currently present bilateral knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a left knee disorder that began in service or is causally related to his military service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for residuals of a left knee disability is denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the Veteran's claim of service connection for a right knee disorder. The evidence submitted does not establish a link between the current right knee condition and either his service-connected left knee disability or his military service.

The Veteran's right knee arthralgia is currently rated at 10 percent, and the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's disorders of the knees, legs, and hips are not secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral strain.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine, lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities are service-connected.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and TDIU was dismissed as he withdrew his appeal seeking an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for mechanical low back syndrome with degenerative changes of the lumbosacral spine prior to June 27, 2011 and a rating greater than 40 percent from June 27, 2011.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 40 percent effective September 22, 2011. The right knee instability and degenerative joint disease are both rated appropriately.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, as well as his scar of the left wrist, are denied. The current 10 percent ratings under the appropriate diagnostic codes adequately reflect the severity and symptomatology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right knee disabilities, low back disability, and residuals of a right ankle fracture were denied. The VA determined that the current ratings adequately reflected the severity of the Veteran's conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his lumbar spine, right hip, and right knee disabilities were denied. The Board found no basis to assign staged ratings as the evidence did not show that a higher rating was warranted for any distinct period(s) of time.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on current symptomatology.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and denied his claim for service connection. His initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss is also denied.

The Veteran's combined rating is 60 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a total disability rating under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a). The VA examiner found that his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected right knee and right foot disorders, as there is no evidence indicating he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disorder is not related to his service or secondary to a service-connected condition, and denied both claims for service connection and an increased rating.