Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing. The claims of entitlement to service connection and a compensable rating are not addressed as the appeal is in process.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for asbestosis, left knee disability, arthritis of hands and fingers, headaches, and an acquired psychiatric disability. The evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions were related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have hearing loss for VA purposes and therefore, service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The issue of an initial compensable disability rating for a scar, status post right knee open reduction surgery, and scars from an old healed fracture of the distal right tibia remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for exogenous obesity and left knee patellar tendonitis were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to these conditions, as obesity is not considered a separate condition for which service connection can be granted.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions and scheduling VA examinations. The issues of service connection for left hip disorder and right knee disorder as secondary to service-connected low back disorder, and an increased rating for radiculopathy of the right sciatic nerve are being remanded.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for a left knee disability, and thus grants the reopening of this claim.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability is etiologically related to his active service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The VA examiner found that the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the knees is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected pes planus, hallux valgus, status post surgical repair, with implant in the first metatarsal joint and degenerative joint disease.

The Board found that the Veteran's back degenerative joint disease is not etiologically related to his military service and denied the claim for service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder or left hamstring disorder, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied. For his degenerative joint disease of the left knee, while there is no STRs available, VA has a heightened duty to consider the applicability of the benefit of the doubt rule due to missing records. However, without a current diagnosis and insufficient evidence linking the condition to service, service connection cannot be granted.

The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic left knee arthritis and left knee medial instability were rated at 10 percent since April 1, 2008 through November 30, 2009. The ratings have been granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee condition, to include as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability, is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and opinion.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claims.,The Veteran's petition to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea has been withdrawn. The RO/AMC will gather any outstanding VA treatment records and obtain private medical records from identified sources, including those related to his skin disorder.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claims.,The Veteran's petition to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for depression has been withdrawn. The RO/AMC will gather any outstanding VA treatment records and obtain private medical records from identified sources, including those related to his skin disorder.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claims.,The Veteran's petition to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension has been withdrawn. The RO/AMC will gather any outstanding VA treatment records and obtain private medical records from identified sources, including those related to his skin disorder.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claims.,The Veteran's petition to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for arthritis has been withdrawn. The RO/AMC will gather any outstanding VA treatment records and obtain private medical records from identified sources, including those related to his skin disorder.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claims.,The Veteran's petition to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for hair loss has been withdrawn. The RO/AMC will gather any outstanding VA treatment records and obtain private medical records from identified sources, including those related to his skin disorder.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus and a right knee disorder, finding that the symptoms did not manifest in or are otherwise related to his active duty service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining employment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for a separate compensable disability rating for right knee instability is being remanded due to conflicting reports of right knee instability and the need for further examination.

The Veteran is unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, and the Board finds that these conditions alone render him unemployable.

The Board has remanded the case due to ambiguities in previous opinions and a need for clarification on the etiology of any current right knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left and right knee disabilities are not related to his military service or his service-connected right ankle disability, and thus denied both claims.