Knee Board decisions

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a right knee disability due to new and material evidence submitted since the final denial in June 1985. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records from Dr. Cameron and SSA records, as well as scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, left ankle, and right ankle disabilities as well as bilateral tinnitus and degenerative disc disease of the spine. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was due to a homicide, not related to his service-connected left knee disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is denied.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a right knee disability that he claims is secondary to his service-connected left knee disability. The VA examiner found the right knee disability was not related to the left knee surgery, but rather due to genu valgus deformity. Further examination and medical opinion are needed to determine if the right knee disability is aggravated by the left knee disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral knee disorder existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service, thus granting service connection on a presumptive basis.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and left knee bursitis were denied. The effective date of the grant of service connection for PTSD with depression was set at March 24, 2004.

PTSD and arthritis of the knees were denied, while asthma was granted.,The denial for PTSD is due to lack of confirmed in-service stressors. Arthritis of the knees has no evidence within one year post-service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is entitled to a separate 10 percent rating for his right knee disability under DC 5003 for degenerative arthritis, in addition to the previously assigned 20 percent rating for recurrent subluxation and lateral instability.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected left knee disability, including any additional range-of-motion loss due to pain and other factors. The case will be returned to the Board after the examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorder and eczema on the right hand are being remanded due to a need for additional development, including VA examinations.

The January 2004 rating decision denied the Veteran's request to reopen his previously denied service connection claim for left knee degenerative joint disease, including as secondary to service-connected right knee status-post total knee arthoplasty with degenerative joint disease.

The Board has determined that there is a need to obtain additional evidence from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and will remand the case for this purpose. The Veteran's claims for whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a previously denied claim for service connection for a left knee condition, to include as secondary to the service-connected disabilities of right knee chondromalacia and chronic lumbosacral strain, and service connection for tinnitus will be further reviewed.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the current severity of his right knee disability and a need for additional examination. The issue includes whether the reduction in rating from 10 percent to 0 percent was proper, as well as entitlement to a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected DJD of bilateral knees has been granted a 10 percent disability evaluation since February 1, 2008.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral knee or right shoulder disability that is related to his active service. The Veteran's current disabilities are considered to be due to natural progression and do not appear to be directly linked to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development due to inadequate examination reports. The case will be returned to the Board after further review.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an opinion on whether the Veteran's left foot disability is related to his service-connected right ankle disability and addressing the use of adaptive equipment. The case will be returned to the Board after this additional development.

The Board denied entitlement to an extraschedular evaluation for right knee arthritis and found that the available schedular evaluations adequately described his disability level. The issue of service connection for a right ankle disorder is pending.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to inadequate examination reports and other procedural issues.

The Board denied an increased disability rating for left knee patellofemoral syndrome with patellar tendonitis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms did not warrant a higher rating based on limitation of motion or instability.