Knee decisions — 2000

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected left knee disability warrants a combined rating of 30 percent, with a 10 percent rating for ligamentous laxity and a 20 percent rating for degenerative arthritis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of evidence linking his current conditions to military service. The COPD claim was not well-grounded, and the left knee and lumbar spine injury claims were found plausible with new evidence submitted.

The veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the issue of entitlement to service connection for a right lateral meniscectomy as secondary to his left knee disorder. As a result, the Board dismissed the appeal.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right shoulder and right knee disabilities, finding that there is no evidence of additional convalescence needed following hospitalizations or any new medical findings warranting an increase in disability rating.

The Board dismissed both claims for service connection and a compensable rating due to the veteran's failure to file a proper appeal within the required time frame.

The Board denied the claim of clear and unmistakable error in the December 3, 1976 rating decision that denied service connection for bilateral knee disability.

The veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his right knee disability is denied. A separate evaluation of 10 percent for degenerative joint disease of the right knee based on arthritis with painful motion is granted.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's current right knee disorder, diagnosed as chronic right knee pain with a history of two arthroscopic surgeries, is related to his in-service injuries. The Board found that the work-related injury in June 1988 did not outweigh the evidence showing a relationship between the current condition and service.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected chondromalacia, lateral tibial plateau and patella, left knee, with torn meniscus.

The veteran's seborrheic dermatitis is rated at 30 percent, and her right knee patellofemoral syndrome is rated at a noncompensable rating. The decision grants the increased rating for seborrheic dermatitis but denies the request for a compensable rating for the right knee condition.

The Board found no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's current right knee disability to his active service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's joint pain and gastrointestinal symptoms are not service-connected due to the lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service, particularly Gulf War exposure.

The Board has found that the veteran's claims for service connection are well-grounded and have granted them. The veteran is entitled to service connection for acne vulgaris, a right knee disorder, a left ankle disorder, tinnitus, and periodontal disease (for treatment purposes).

The Board has granted service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability but denied entitlement to a compensable evaluation for the veteran's left knee patellofemoral syndrome with chondromalacia patella.

The veteran's claims for a compensable rating for hearing loss, reopening of service connection for left knee condition and residuals of frostbite of the feet were denied. The RO found that new evidence did not meet the criteria to reopen these claims.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his left knee condition is being remanded due to the need for further examination and clarification of how the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 4.22 have been applied to his case.

The veteran's Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the knees and osteoarthritis of the right shoulder are not service-connected, while his degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine is rated at a 10% disability level.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has ordered the case remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA orthopedic examination to determine if the veteran's bilateral knee disability is related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disorder, including postoperative chondromalacia, does not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities are not of sufficient severity to prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment.