Knee Board decisions

The Veteran is seeking an initial compensable rating for his service-connected left knee patella tendonitis. The case must be returned to the RO for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records from Loma Linda VAMC and Las Vegas VAMC, scheduling a new VA examination, and readjudicating the issue.

The Board has remanded the case for a Travel Board or videoconference Board hearing of the appellant's choosing.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to June 30, 2008. The decision found that there was no pending claim or medical evidence supporting such a determination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorder and low back disorder, finding no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities, including chronic strain and laxity, are currently rated at 20 percent combined effective September 10, 2009.

The Veteran's claims for higher evaluations for his right and left knee disabilities were denied as the evidence did not show that either condition warranted a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities have been rated at 10 percent each, but the evidence does not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion or other criteria.

The Veteran's service-connected arthritis of the knees, cervical spine, elbows, and hands, along with his hiatal hernia, contributed to his death due to pneumonia and adult respiratory distress syndrome.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a bilateral knee disability, impaired memory (claimed as Alzheimer's disease), syphilis, liver disorder (claimed as hepatitis), and paranoid schizophrenia, all of which were alleged to be related to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed right wrist, right knee, and left heel disabilities are not service-connected as they do not meet the criteria for direct service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disability, which is rated as 10 percent disabling under Diagnostic Code 5257 for instability and traumatic arthritis, does not warrant a higher rating based on current symptomatology.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was denied as the evidence did not show he is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and conducting VA examinations to determine the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Veteran's right knee disorder claim has been reopened, but further development is needed to determine the appropriate rating and service connection. The compensable rating claim for allergic rhinitis with deviated nasal septum remains pending.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right knee disability is not related to his service, including a 1988 injury during service. The VA examiner opined that any chronic right knee disability did not manifest during military service and was not made worse by service.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Maine General Medical Center on October 4, 2008 were reimbursed as the condition was an emergent one and VA facilities were not feasibly available.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbosacral strain, hairline fracture of the right jaw, arthritis of hands, and lumbar degenerative disc disease. The claim for increased rating for left knee chondromalacia with degenerative changes was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to address whether his right knee arthritis is secondary to his service-connected right foot disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for musculoskeletal disorders, including arthritis of the right shoulder, knees, ankles and feet sprains, and neck muscle spasms is being remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset and etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability and PTSD were denied due to lack of evidence of such conditions in service. The claim for service connection for the right knee disability was reopened, but ultimately denied.