Knee Board decisions

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lower back, left knee, and left shoulder disorders due to a lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to service. The Veteran's reported in-service fall did not result in current diagnoses of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran is unemployable due to service-connected disabilities, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability effective from February 1, 2008.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including arthritis and instability, has been rated at 20 percent since May 2004. The rating is for functional loss due to arthritis.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes mellitus, glaucoma and cataracts, high cholesterol, and hypertension. The remaining issues of service connection for asbestosis, COPD, spurring of cervical and lumbar spine (back disorder), sleep apnea, tonsil disorder, bilateral knee arthritis with total knee replacement, right foot Achilles tendon (right foot disorder), and left foot disorder are addressed below.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including post-surgical conditions and pre-existing osteoarthritis, is rated at 60 percent effective February 1, 2009. The asthma disability remains rated at the maximum schedular rating of 30 percent.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left knee disability and left inguinal herniorrhaphy are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess the current severity of these conditions.

The VA denied an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for degenerative joint disease of the right knee, finding that the condition is manifested by pain and limited motion without instability or recurrent subluxation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left knee disorders are related to his active duty service.,The Board also found no evidence of hypogonadism or melasma in the record.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for depressive disorder, adjustment disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease, lumbar spine disorder, and bilateral knee disorder. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood has been rated as 10% since September 8, 2008. The evaluations for the left and right knee strains remain unknown due to lack of specific information in the decision.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the current status of his service-connected PTSD and right knee, as well as an opinion on whether he has a right hip disorder secondary to service-connected disabilities. The RO will also obtain updated VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a hearing, and no final outcome is determined at this stage.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral feet metatarsalgia with drawer instability, chondromalacia patellae of the left knee, and chondromalacia patellae of the right knee are currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling. The Veteran's colonic polyps do not warrant a compensable evaluation. No new evidence has been presented to reopen service connection for a cervical spine disability or lumbar spine disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disorders are not related to his service-connected lumbar spine disorder or any other injury or illness incurred during service.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected right knee disabilities and Hepatitis C have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating higher than 20 percent for internal derangement of the right knee or a rating higher than 10 percent for degenerative joint disease of the right knee.

The evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's right knee disorder is related to his military service, and therefore, service connection for this condition cannot be granted.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, characterized as an adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression, is found to have its origin during service.,Service-connected chondromalacia of the right knee with traumatic arthritis currently meets criteria for a 10 percent evaluation. However, there is no evidence of instability, subluxation, locking, incoordination, weakened movement, or excess fatigability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the criteria for a TDIU have not been met.

The Veteran's right knee laxity and musculoligamentous strain with osteoarthritis have been granted initial ratings of 10 percent and 20 percent, respectively.,The Veteran's limited extension of the right knee has been granted a separate disability rating of 10 percent effective November 10, 2009.

The Veteran's PTSD results in significant occupational and social impairment, warranting a 70 percent disability rating.