Knee Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities were not caused by his military service and denied his claim.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee replacements and post-operative pulmonary embolisms are not considered to have contributed to his death, as the cause of death is attributed to another condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, arranging for orthopedic and neurologic examinations, and re-adjudicating the claims.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining service medical records and a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's right knee disability is not etiologically related to his service-connected postoperative internal derangement of the left knee with degenerative arthritis, and thus, he does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for right and left knee disorders. The Veteran's claims were reopened, but the right and left knee disorders are not related to his military service or any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, and scars from gunshot wound are denied as his conditions do not warrant the higher evaluations sought.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a right knee disorder, including Baker's Cyst and osteoarthritis. The case is being remanded to obtain a VA examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's current right knee disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the left knee, finding that there was no evidence linking the current condition to his active service.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of degenerative joint disease was not related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including arthritis and instability, warrants a separate 10 percent rating for limitation of extension. The May 2009 VA examination confirmed the presence of arthritis with limited flexion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his right knee and left ankle disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a rating higher than the current assigned ratings.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee and lumbar spine disabilities are proximately due to or the result of his service-connected left knee disability, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, effective May 15, 2007. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating prior to this date.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities are currently rated at 10 percent each, but the evidence does not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right knee degenerative joint disease and hemorrhoids were denied. The initial rating of 10 percent for right knee disability was not granted, and the claim for an initial staged rating in excess of 10 percent for hemorrhoids from November 1, 2006 was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board found no evidence that any current disabilities of the Veteran's knees or hips are related to service, and thus denied all claims for service connection.