Knee Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability is not related to his service or a service-connected right knee disability, and thus denied the claim.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee degenerative arthritis are inextricably intertwined, necessitating further development of his case. The Veteran needs to provide updated medical records from Dr. T.R. Sexton and any other relevant providers.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, combined to be 70 percent disabling. However, the evidence does not show that these conditions alone prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's left knee degenerative joint disease is currently rated as 10 percent disabling. The Board has granted a separate evaluation of 10 percent for right-sided mild incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve and 20 percent for left-sided moderate incomplete paralysis of the sciatic nerve.

The Board has determined that the appellant's left knee disorder is not related to his military service and therefore, denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's current hypertension and hypertensive heart disease did not manifest during service, is not otherwise shown to be causally or etiologically related to service, and is not shown to have manifested to a degree of 10 percent or more within one year from the date of separation from service. The Board denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for extraschedular ratings for his service-connected bilateral pes planus, low back disability, and iliotibial friction band syndrome of both knees. The criteria for an extraschedular rating were not met in any of these cases.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current left knee disorder due to disease or injury incurred in service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD and left knee disability have been granted increased ratings, with the PTSD rated at 50% and the left knee disability rated at 10%. The evidence does not show that these conditions are so exceptional or unusual as to require referral for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a bilateral knee disability has been reopened. However, his claims for increased ratings for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss remain denied.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence did not support a higher rating or an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his knee and toe disabilities were denied. The initial disability rating for the left knee was not granted, while a combined rating of 20 percent or more was not met from July 11, 2007 onwards. The right knee received an initial non-compensable rating, and the Veteran's fractures did not meet criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities were denied by the RO, with a final rating of 10 percent each for right and left internal derangement with patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current status of his right and left knee disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed back, knee, and psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such severity as to preclude him from securing and following some form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work experience, warranting a total rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran is in need of regular aid and attendance or bedridden due solely to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability is not related to his period of honorable military service, and therefore denied service connection for degenerative joint disease, right knee. The issue of service connection for bilateral orchiopexy (claimed as scrotum condition) is being remanded for further action.

The Veteran's current left knee arthritis is not considered to have been caused or aggravated by his active service, and the Board has determined that he does not meet the criteria for service connection.