Knee decisions — 2000

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, hypertension, fatigue and sleep problems, knee pain, memory loss, a skin disorder, headaches, and a sinus condition. The reasons given were that there was no medical evidence of these conditions in service or during the presumptive period, and that they did not meet the criteria for service connection due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board found no medical evidence linking the veteran's current conditions to his military service, including exposure to cold injury. Therefore, the claim for service connection was denied.

The veteran's left knee and ankle disabilities have been rated, with the left knee receiving a 20% rating effective from December 1, 1995. The left ankle disability remains at a 10% rating since February 24, 1994.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, right knee, and right ankle disabilities. The RO must obtain all outstanding medical records from the Buffalo VAMC before considering these claims on their merits.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection and a higher rating for her stress fractures, finding no current left knee disability and insufficient evidence to support an increased rating for her right pelvis condition.

The veteran timely initiated an appeal of the May 2, 1997 rating decision denying his claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, hearing loss and a stomach ulcer. The RO's denial is now considered valid.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disorder is secondary to his service-connected right ankle avulsion fracture, but further development is needed for the right knee issue. The rating for the right ankle remains at 20%.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen the claims for service connection for low back and left knee disorders, as no such evidence was found in the provided information.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's right knee disability, currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board has granted an increased rating of 30 percent for incomplete paralysis of the external popliteal nerve (common peroneal) and denied a higher rating for degenerative joint disease, left knee.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected bilateral eye, left knee, and left clavicle disorders do not warrant increased ratings. The lumbar spine disorder is rated as 40 percent disabling.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disorder as secondary to his right knee disorder, an increased evaluation for his right knee replacement disability, and the cause of his death. The appeals were all denied due to lack of credible medical evidence supporting these claims.

The Board has granted a 10% rating for the veteran's right knee disorder and denied any compensable ratings for his left knee disorder.

The Board has denied the claims for service connection for tinnitus, chronic sinusitis, and a right knee disability as secondary to a back disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The veteran's service-connected right lower extremity disability, including osteoarthritis of the right knee and traumatic arthritis of the right ankle, is currently rated at 20 percent disabling.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well-grounded and denied them.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability as secondary to the service-connected left knee replacement residuals, finding that there was no evidence showing a relationship between the right knee injury and either his period of service or his service-connected left knee disorder.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluation and total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities are being remanded for additional development.

The RO denied the veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his right knee disorder and service connection for a psychiatric disorder. The RO found that there was no well-grounded evidence to support these claims.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for his knee disabilities are denied. His ankle disability claim is not well-grounded, while his right knee disability warrants a 20 percent rating since July 29, 1994, but no higher.