Knee Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's additional disabilities were not caused by VA treatment, and thus denied his claims under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a more contemporaneous VA examination to determine the current severity of his left and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to the RO for a new VA examination and consideration of whether separate ratings are warranted due to his service-connected right knee disability and left knee disability.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board has granted service connection for hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, but denied service connection for obesity. The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, lumbar spine disability, and bilateral knee disabilities are not considered to be directly related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing. The case will not be decided on the merits of his service connection claim until after this hearing.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hip disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and lumbar spine disorder have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal. The claim of service connection for a psychiatric condition has been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral degenerative arthritis of the knees is related to active military service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition. The evidence does not support a finding of a current diagnosis of a bilateral ankle disability, but the claim will be granted as there is no clear and unmistakable error in denying it.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication due to a previous decision denying service connection for left knee degenerative joint disease. The Veteran maintains that his current left knee difficulties are attributable to his military service, including parachute landings and a helicopter crash in 1978.

The Board has ordered a remand to clarify the etiology of the Veteran's claimed left knee and left ankle disabilities, as well as address the nature and etiology of any corresponding diagnosis of migratory polyarthralgia.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development and consideration, including a VA compensation examination to address the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities. The examiner was instructed to consider both direct service connection and secondary service connection theories.

The Veteran's service-connected left and right knee disabilities have been granted increased ratings of 20 percent effective March 22, 2011.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and needs further examination of the Veteran's knee and ankle disabilities. The appeal is pending until further notice.

The Veteran's left knee disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is denied.

The Board has found that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for a left knee disorder. However, due to issues with the VA examiner's opinion regarding the Veteran's x-rays from 2009, the case is being remanded for another VA examination.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability and whether it is related to his military service. The appeal will be remanded for this purpose.

The Board has determined that the July 2004 RO rating decision, which continued a 10 percent rating for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with hypertextension under DC 5299-5257, was not the product of clear and unmistakable error (CUE). The appellant's service-connected right knee disability results in symptomatology analogous to recurrent instability and subluxation which is no more than slight in degree. The criteria for a rating greater than 10 percent for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with hypertextension have not been met, as the symptoms are consistent with patellofemoral pain.

The Veteran is granted an annual clothing allowance for the 2010 calendar year due to his service-connected skin disorder causing permanent stains on his clothes.

The Board found that new and material evidence had been presented to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection, but determined that the criteria for service connection were not met.

The Veteran's service-connected left knee disability was rated at 10 percent prior to November 26, 2008 and is currently rated as 60 percent disabling for rheumatoid arthritis affecting the bilateral ankles, wrists, hands, knees, and back. The Board found that a higher rating was not warranted.