Knee Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right and left knee disabilities are related to his service, warranting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Veteran was not granted a higher rating for PTSD, tinnitus, or hearing loss. Service connection was not established for COPD, peripheral neuropathy of the hands and feet, or degenerative changes in the right knee.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for various disabilities, including psychiatric disability, erectile dysfunction, chronic labyrinthitis, pansinusitis, headache disability, low back disability, neck disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, and bilateral hip disability. The Veteran's claims are pending with the RO via the Appeals Management Center in Washington, D.C.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and occupational experience, effective December 6, 2011.

The Board has dismissed all issues on appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of his appeals.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred on July 1, 2005, is denied as the emergency treatment was not provided in response to a condition that would have been hazardous if delayed.

The Board granted a 10 percent rating for traumatic arthritis of the left knee with painful motion and a separate 20 percent rating for status post medial meniscectomy of the left knee, both effective from May 21, 1996. The Veteran's TDIU claim was also granted on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant before a decision was made.

The Board has ordered a new examination to determine the nature, extent, and etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability, including whether it is related to service or his right knee disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic low back disability and increased evaluations for DJD of his knees, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Board found no evidence of a cervical spine, lumbar spine, or right knee disability during service and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine, right knee, left knee, left shoulder, and right hip disabilities due to lack of clear and unmistakable evidence that these conditions were aggravated by military service or preexisted service.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his left and right knee disabilities were denied as there was no evidence of a compensable degree of disability under the applicable rating criteria.

The Veteran's left knee disability, which included chondromalacia and arthritis, was rated at 20 percent effective March 31, 2010.

The Veteran's claim for earlier effective dates was denied as his application for benefits was received by VA on January 18, 2007, which is the date he contacted the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) office. The one-year deadline for filing a claim after separation from service has expired.

The Board has reopened the previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for a left hip disorder and granted it. The Veteran's right hip disability is rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his ability to work. The TDIU issue will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her service-connected knee disabilities were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including arthritis and instability, has been rated at 30 percent since March 1, 2007 following total knee replacement. The rating is based on the current functional limitations of the knee.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus the claims for service connection for a right knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and nervous tremors remain denied.