Knee decisions — 2000

The Board found that the veteran's claims for PTSD and secondary service connection for peripheral vascular disease, amputations of the right foot, and osteomyelitis are not well-grounded due to a lack of evidence supporting these claims.

The Board has granted a rating of 30 percent for the veteran's service-connected residuals of a torn rotator cuff, left shoulder, with limitation of motion and traumatic arthritis. The claim for an increased rating for postoperative residuals of a Baker's cyst, left knee, remains unresolved.

The Board has determined that the veteran's degenerative arthritis of both knees, with radiographic evidence of bilateral tibial tubercle fragmentation, is related to injuries sustained during service and grants service connection for these disabilities.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, skin rash, vision loss, right ankle disability, and right knee disability.

The Board finds that there is competent medical evidence showing that the veteran's right knee disorder was caused by her service-connected left knee disorder, and thus grants the claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disorder as secondary to the service-connected left knee disorder.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection are well-grounded and have been granted. The veteran is found to have current disabilities including bilateral defective hearing, tinnitus, low back pain, and dermatitis, all of which were incurred in service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right knee disability, sinusitis, and respiratory disability due to a lack of medical evidence supporting these conditions or their link to military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection, an increased evaluation for his right knee disability, and a separate evaluation for his right knee scar were all denied. The denial is based on the lack of evidence linking any current disabilities to service.

The Board dismissed the veteran's appeals regarding secondary service connection for left knee, hip, and ankle disorders as well as an increased rating for his right knee disability due to lack of timely appeal.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected left knee disability was granted, with a current rating of 30 percent. The RO requested additional VA outpatient records and scheduled the veteran for a VA orthopedic examination to assess the severity of his condition.

The Board has granted service connection for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and found the claim well-grounded. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a Right Knee Disability is not addressed as it was not part of the appeal.

The Board has ordered additional development of the appellant's claims for service connection for left knee and right hip disabilities due to incomplete medical records. The appellant is advised that his application is incomplete and should submit relevant medical records from Valley Forge General Hospital, his private doctor, and VA facilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability is well-grounded, and thus VA must assist in developing facts pertinent to the claim. The case is remanded for additional medical clarification regarding the nature and etiology of the veteran's left knee disorder.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for secondary service connection for left knee, right knee, left hip, right hip and low back disabilities are not well grounded. The evidence does not support a finding of causation or aggravation by his service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to a lack of evidence linking his current disabilities to his military service.

The Board denied all three issues related to the veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a scar on the left knee, residuals of a gunshot wound of the right ring finger, and hammertoes of the left foot.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for shoulder and left knee disabilities are not well grounded. The evidence did not show a link between his current conditions and his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected Osgood Schlatter disease of the left knee and ulcerative colitis.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected disabilities have been granted, with the exception of the evaluation for coronary artery disease. The left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome and right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome are each rated at 20 percent and 10 percent, respectively, effective from June 26, 1995. The veteran's lateral epicondylitis of the right elbow is rated at 10 percent, sinusitis at 10 percent, left knee disorder at direct service connection, low back disorder at direct service connection, and gastritis at direct service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not establish a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.