Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knees are found to have been incurred during his service.,Lightheadedness and dizziness, presumed to be related to his Persian Gulf War service, are also found to have been incurred during his service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and multiple knee conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied service connection for low back and bilateral knee disabilities, as well as a rating in excess of 10 percent for hiatal hernia. The Veteran's complaints were noted during service but no chronic conditions were diagnosed.,Service connection was not granted for tinnitus due to lack of evidence showing it became manifest in service.

The Board found that the Veteran's preexisting torn medial meniscus, left knee, did not worsen during service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his left knee disability is granted, with the effective date to be determined based on the new evidence provided during this appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development, including obtaining medical opinions and conducting additional examinations to address the nature and etiology of his bilateral knee, shoulder, and headache disabilities, as well as the severity of his service-connected right thoracolumbar strain.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee and bilateral hip disabilities are related to his service-connected rheumatoid arthritis, which was present during active duty. As a result, the claims for service connection have been granted.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for left thumb and left knee disabilities have been reopened. The Board finds new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims, but remands them for further development. For PTSD, the Veteran is granted a rating of 50% effective February 2, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and attempting to obtain Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits records. A VA examination will be scheduled to assess the current severity of his right knee disability.

The Board found no evidence of current disabilities related to the Veteran's service, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, a right knee condition, or a right shoulder condition. The claims were denied as there was insufficient medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal regarding the issues of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a previously denied claim of service connection for a right knee disability, entitlement to service connection for a right foot disability, and entitlement to service connection for a pulmonary heart condition. As such, the Board does not have jurisdiction to review these matters.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran does not have a left knee disability that is service-connected as it was not incurred or aggravated during his active duty.

The Veteran's chondromalacia of the left patella was rated at 30 percent from February 21, 2002 to October 30, 2005. The residuals of a left knee TKA were rated at 60 percent from December 1, 2006 to December 17, 2006.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing an additional medical opinion. The Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right knee disabilities are currently under review.

The Board found no evidence of aggravation during service and concluded that the Veteran's left knee disability was not aggravated by his period of active duty service. The claim is denied.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for bilateral plantar fasciitis and right knee disability were denied by the Board. The Veteran has a severe foot disability due to bilateral plantar fasciitis, which is characterized by significant pain during prolonged physical activity. For his right knee disability, he has slight recurrent subluxation or lateral instability but also osteoarthritis from March 10, 2010 onwards, resulting in a separate 10 percent rating for the osteoarthritis component.

The Veteran's left knee chondromalacia patella disability was not manifested by evidence of subluxation or lateral instability, flexion limited to 45 degrees or less, extension limited to 10 degrees, objective ankylosis, dislocated or removed semilunar cartilage, or impairment of the tibia and fibula. From September 23, 2010, the Veteran's left knee chondromalacia patella disability was manifested by evidence of left knee arthritis with noncompensable limitation of motion and painful motion.

The Veteran's initial compensable evaluation for left knee traumatic arthritis with limited extension prior to November 3, 2008 has been granted. On and after November 3, 2008, a rating of at least 10 percent is warranted.

The Veteran's left knee disability, characterized by pain and instability, has been rated at 30 percent since June 2003. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on instability or subluxation but did find that there was sufficient limitation of motion to warrant a separate 10 percent evaluation for arthritic changes.