Knee Board decisions

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and a right knee disability. The case will be returned to the RO for further action.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including depression, renal insufficiency with hypertension, incisional hernia, diabetes mellitus with retinopathy and impotence, right knee disability, left knee disability, neurodermatitis, tinnitus, limitation of motion of the right knee, hearing loss, and other conditions have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's right knee DJD is currently evaluated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that a higher evaluation is not warranted. The claim for TDIU is also denied as his service-connected disability alone does not preclude substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability was granted a 40 percent rating effective June 18, 2007. The left knee disability was granted a 30 percent rating effective June 27, 2008.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling an orthopedic examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee condition, including degenerative arthritis of the right knee, was not incurred or aggravated by her military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to missing service and post-service treatment records, as well as outstanding VA outpatient treatment records.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right patellofemoral syndrome is not related to his service, including a documented November 2003 incident involving an assault. The evidence does not support a finding of chronic right knee symptoms during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not resulted in the permanent loss or use of one or both feet, hands, vision, or ankylosis of knees or hips. Therefore, he is not entitled to financial assistance for automobile and adaptive equipment.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee and leg disabilities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected pes planus.

The Veteran's right knee disability is related to his active military service and has been granted. The left knee, cervical spine injury, and headache claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has received notification from the Appellant that he wishes to withdraw his claims for service connection for ankylosing spondylitis of the thoracolumbar and cervical spine, lateral epicondylitis of the right elbow, a right forearm injury, and degenerative arthritis of the right knee. As such, these claims are dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for his knee, elbow, wrist, and forearm disabilities as well as malaria was denied because he did not have active military service during a period of war.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee disabilities have been denied. The VA determined that the current disability levels do not warrant a higher rating based on the symptoms and functional impairment.

The Veteran is granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for a bilateral knee disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right knee disability, and for additional development as requested.

The Veteran's claim for an annual clothing allowance for 2008 related to his service-connected disabilities (degenerative arthritis of the bilateral knees) requiring metal braces that cause damage to his clothing was denied because the knee braces were procured in May 2008, which did not meet the eligibility criteria as they had to be purchased by August 1, 2007.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee and left shoulder conditions were not caused or aggravated by his service-connected low back disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for joint disability, depression, back pain, and chest pain as there is no competent evidence of a chronic disability in service or related to service. The fibro-osseous lesions are not considered service-connected.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.