Knee Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's current right knee and prostate disabilities are not related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides. The preponderance of evidence indicates these conditions did not manifest during or as a result of his active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for automobile and adaptive equipment or specially adapted housing benefits due to his inability to walk without significant assistance.

The Veteran's left knee injury is currently rated at 20 percent, effective August 31, 2009. The claim for service connection of a low back disability was denied as final. Service connection for right knee and right ankle disabilities were also denied as final.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee disorder did not have onset during service, arthritis of his left knee did not manifest within one year of separation from active service, and his left knee disorder is not etiologically related to his active service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a left knee disability was denied.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic right knee or low back disability in service and denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board has denied all claims for initial compensable evaluations, finding no indication of ongoing or new symptoms that would warrant a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, and the Board finds that he is not entitled to a TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were not incurred or aggravated by active service. The Board found no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's bilateral eye disability and right knee internal derangement with traumatic arthritis.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for intervertebral disk disease, facet athropathy, right total knee replacement, and left total knee replacement. Resolving all doubts in favor of the Veteran, his currently diagnosed conditions are found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's right wrist disability is not service-connected, as there is no evidence of a current condition or in-service injury. The left eye corneal scar does not result in decreased visual acuity to warrant a compensable rating.,The postoperative left knee meniscal tear resulted in pain and occasional instability but did not meet the criteria for an initial 10% disability rating from August 2009 onwards, nor higher than 10% from February 2009 onwards. The lumbar spine DJD met the criteria for a 20% disability rating since February 2009.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities had effectively resulted in his inability to use both feet for a year prior to June 23, 2008. Therefore, an effective date of August 14, 2007, was granted for the award of special monthly compensation at the P-1 level.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right shoulder and left knee disabilities are related to his military service, specifically parachute jumps during periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA).

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee and ankle disorders, as well as right and left ankle disorders. However, further development is required to determine the appropriate rating and effective date for hypertension.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and service connection were granted. The right knee disability is rated at 20 percent, the right hip disability at 10 percent, and the left knee disability at a noncompensable rating.

The Veteran's claim is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated treatment records and arranging for orthopedic and skin examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hip disorder and right knee disorder were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The claims for service connection were denied.

The VA examiner found no direct service connection for the Veteran's left hip disorder, but determined that her current condition is secondary to her service-connected left knee disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right knee disorder is not related to her military service and denied her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for a scar as a residual of a shell fragment wound to the left knee was denied by the RO. The Board is remanding the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and arranging for a VA examination.