Knee decisions — 2000

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his low back disorder and gunshot wound residuals, contributed substantially to causing the veteran's death from recurrent small cell lung cancer.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for the veteran's left knee disability, which is currently rated as 20 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee disability does not warrant a higher rating, as it is currently rated at 30 percent for instability and arthritis with limitation of motion.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral knee disorder in September 1988 and found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim. The veteran's assertions regarding his current knee problems were considered duplicative of previous statements, and additional medical evidence was deemed cumulative.

The Board granted a 20 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected torn meniscus of the left knee, postoperative.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee strain, hypertension, and tinea manus are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a comprehensive VA examination.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to verify the veteran's service and obtain medical records, as well as SSA records. The case is being remanded for these purposes.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his right and left knee disabilities, as well as a compensable evaluation for his bilateral tinea infection. The claim to reopen his heart disorder was also denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for his scar on the left knee and for disability benefits under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to treatment he received by VA in February and March 1995 for lymphedema with deep vein thrombosis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disorder, an initial compensable rating for right knee disability prior to August 30, 1996, and an increase in the initial disability rating for right knee disability from August 30, 1996. The veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for residuals of fracture of left femur was also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for right hip, low back, eye, and left knee disorders due to a lack of competent medical evidence showing these conditions are related to his military service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disability warrants a rating of 40 percent, effective from November 1992.

The case is being remanded for additional development of the evidence, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA orthopedic examination to assess the current severity of the veteran's knee disabilities.

The veteran's psychiatric disorder is found to be aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability. The right knee disability, post-operative right medial meniscectomy with osteoarthritis and chondromalacia of the right knee, warrants a 30 percent evaluation.

The Board denied service connection for rhinitis and did not grant increased ratings for the right knee disorder or low back disorder.

The Board found that the veteran's right and left knee disabilities do not meet or approximate the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent, thus denying his claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee and cervical spine disorders are not related to his service-connected right knee disability, and thus denied both claims.

The Board found that the veteran's right knee disability is not causally linked to an incident in service or proximately due to his service-connected right foot and right os calcis disabilities, thus denying the claim.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for back and bilateral knee disorders are not well-grounded. The claim for an increased evaluation of PTSD was remanded due to a lack of recent medical examination.

The RO denied the claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disorder in February 1993. The veteran attempted to reopen the claim with new evidence, but it was determined that the submitted evidence was not new and material.