Knee Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional service treatment records and a VA examination. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for his chronic left knee disabilities is pending.

The Veteran's claim for various service connection issues was remanded, and the RO is now denying his claims for increased ratings. The evidence does not support a compensable rating for any of the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a right knee disorder has been reopened and granted. His PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, effective August 8, 2006.

The Veteran's right knee, left wrist, and right wrist disabilities are not service-connected. The Board finds no evidence of a current disability related to these conditions.,Bilateral hearing loss was first noted many years after service and is not service-connected.

The Veteran has withdrawn her appeals regarding the initial evaluations for right knee and right shoulder degenerative joint disease. As a result, these claims are dismissed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various conditions, including a back disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, left leg and knee disorders. The evidence submitted was not considered new and material to reopen any of these claims.

The Veteran's request for an increased evaluation for his right knee disability is granted.,A separate evaluation for the scar associated with his right knee disability is denied.,An evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD from October 13, 2007 is granted.,An evaluation in excess of 70 percent for PTSD from June 12, 2008 is granted.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss is denied.,Service connection for the Veteran's bleeding ulcer is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.,Service connection for sleep apnea with CPAP is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.,Service connection for psoriasis is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.,Service connection for erectile dysfunction is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.,The Veteran's heart disorder, presumed due to herbicide exposure, is granted.

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to active service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition. The claims of service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, right ankle disability, and left knee disability are pending.

The Veteran does not have a left knee disability that is attributable to his active military service and the Board finds no evidence of continuity of symptomatology or chronicity.

The Veteran's left knee disorder is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has determined that there is no current evidence of a diagnosed bilateral shin splints, bilateral knee disorder, or lumbar spine disorder to support the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including major depressive disorder with alcohol abuse, below the knee amputation of the left leg, degenerative joint disease of the lumbosacral spine, and left hip tendonitis, have rendered him unemployable. The vocational goal of becoming a lawyer has been identified as feasible given his educational background and skills.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's eye muscle imbalance was incurred in service and his bilateral knee arthritis is not presumed to have been incurred in service. The claim for eye muscle imbalance is granted, while the claim for bilateral knee arthritis remains denied.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional medical records and for further examination. The Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disorder and right knee disorder are pending.

The Veteran's left knee disability, manifested by arthritis with flexion greater than 45 degrees and full extension, is currently rated at 10 percent. The Board finds that the current rating adequately reflects the severity of his condition.

The Veteran's right knee retropatellar pain syndrome was evaluated at a 10 percent disability rating from February 11, 2007 through June 13, 2010. The condition did not warrant an increased evaluation during this period.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral knee, right hand, and left hand disabilities are not shown to have manifested during a period of active service or within one year from separation. The claims for service connection were denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left knee disability was denied, and the claim for TDIU was also denied. The Board found that the current evaluation of 10% adequately reflects the severity of the Veteran's condition.

The Board has granted a 20% rating for degenerative arthritis of the right knee and a 30% rating for right knee laxity, finding that these conditions are secondary to service-connected right knee disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD based on a verified in-service stressor of witnessing a helicopter crash into the side of a mountain. The Veteran's bilateral knee disorder claim is remanded due to incomplete development.