Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or that they are related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his severe back and knee conditions, necessitated the need for regular aid and attendance of another person. The Board granted SMC based on this need.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU with an effective date of March 4, 2008, due to his service-connected disabilities. The claim for the TDIU was filed on December 2, 2003.

The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's right knee disability and also remanded the case to consider an extraschedular rating under 38 C.F.R. § 3.321(b)(1).

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral knee condition was not incurred or aggravated by active service, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA and denied her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for residuals of a left knee injury is denied as his flexion limitation does not meet the criteria for an increased disability rating. The current 20 percent rating remains in effect.

The Board found that the appellant's current right knee, cervical spine, and lumbar spine disorders are not related to his active duty for training service. The preexisting conditions were not aggravated during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a left knee disorder and hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral chondromalacia patella and meniscal tear of the right knee are related to his service-connected foot disability, and the Board has granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's initial evaluations for residuals of shrapnel wound of the left knee were granted, with a temporary evaluation of 100% from November 6, 2007 to December 1, 2008 and a permanent evaluation of 30% thereafter. The Veteran also received an increased evaluation for his status post total knee replacement after December 1, 2008.

The Board found that the appellant's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not causally related to his active service or any incident therein, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected DJD of the left knee is currently evaluated at 30 percent, effective February 2006. The evaluation takes into account the degree of disability pre-existing aggravation by the service-connected right knee.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus. The Veteran's other claims remain pending and will be addressed in the remand portion of this decision.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development of the Veteran's claims, including obtaining his service treatment records and VA treatment records.

Throughout the rating period, the Veteran's left knee disability was productive of complaints of pain and limited motion. The objective evidence showed that at its worst, flexion and extension were from 5 to 90 degrees, with no demonstrated additional functional limitation due to pain or weakness, and no objective evidence of recurrent instability. As such, a rating in excess of 20 percent was not warranted.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee condition and remanded it for further development, including a new VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current left knee disability is not service-connected, as there is no evidence linking it to his military service or any acute injury sustained during service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to incomplete records and the need for further medical examinations. Service connection will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a new VA examination.