Knee Board decisions

The Board has determined that there is not enough evidence to support the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral knee degenerative joint disease (DJD) and arthritis of the knees. The preponderance of the evidence does not show a direct relationship between his current condition and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability and lumbar degenerative disk disease have been reopened, but denied on the merits.,A current right knee disability has not been established.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination and further development of his claims, including consideration of whether separate ratings are warranted for instability in the left knee.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary prior to the adjudication of the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder due to incomplete records and the need to determine the characterization of his second period of active duty service as dishonorable.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule a Travel Board hearing at the RO in San Antonio, Texas. The Veteran did not report for his scheduled August 2011 hearing due to incorrect address information.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his left knee disabilities have been dismissed as he has withdrawn them.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee and thoracolumbar spine disabilities are proximately due to or the result of his service-connected left knee disability, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for arthritis of the neck, back, hands, and knees. The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate these claims.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for DDD of the lumbar spine, right knee osteoarthritis, and mood disorder due to new evidence submitted since the last final denial. The claims are being reviewed de novo.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee and ankle disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during service, and are not proximately due to a service-connected disability. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for intermittent right knee strain has been granted, effective from the date of his initial claim in 1993. As this resolves all issues on appeal, the case is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records from OPM and USPS, scheduling a VA examination to address the etiology of hypertension, and considering all submitted evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral knee disorders, which he contends is related to his service-connected plantar fasciitis of the left foot, was denied as there is no current diagnosis of a chronic bilateral knee disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability, left knee disorder, or low back disorder that is etiologically related to service. The evidence shows no in-service hearing loss and only mild sensorineural hearing loss at 4000 Hz in the right ear post-service. The left knee disorder was noted pre-service but did not result from service. The low back disorder does not appear to be related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee disability, including anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and arthritis, is related to his documented in-service injuries. As a result, service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disorder, finding that the evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine was characterized by certain limitations but no new evaluation was granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, right knee disability, and left knee disability have been denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bicuspid aortic valve disorder, tinnitus, and right knee disability. Bilateral hearing loss was not found to meet VA criteria for a disability rating.

The Board found no evidence that any current cervical, low back, or left knee disability is related to service. The Veteran's complaints and diagnoses are not linked to his military service.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for right knee laxity was granted, with the effective date set at March 12, 2007. The case also addressed whether a timely Notice of Disagreement had been filed regarding the September 2001 RO decision denying service connection for left knee arthritis. Service connection for right knee arthritis and TDIU were not decided in this decision.