Knee decisions — 2000

The veteran's claim for special monthly pension benefits based on the need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound is currently pending. The RO has requested additional evidence and will reassess his disability ratings after further examination.

The RO granted service connection for the veteran's disabilities and assigned initial evaluations. The veteran appealed these decisions, requesting higher evaluations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for loss of balance, blurred vision, headaches, numbness in the hands, pain in the hips, a bilateral knee disorder and a bilateral ankle disorder are not well grounded.

The Board finds that the veteran's right knee disorder is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected residuals of a shell fragment wound (SFW) of the right lower leg with fracture of the right fibula.,The claim for left knee disorder as secondary to the service-connected right lower leg disability is not well grounded, and thus denied. The veteran's testimony did not provide sufficient evidence to support this claim.,The claim for peripheral neuropathy of the fingers and head as a result of exposure to herbicides is also not well grounded.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the right knee and gynecological disorders. The claims of increased evaluation for a right knee injury and service connection for a gynecological disorder will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for left knee disorder, allowing the appellant to proceed with her claim.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for secondary service connection for a right knee disability was not well grounded and denied it. The issue of increased evaluation for left knee disability will be addressed in the remand.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and residuals of a nerve injury to the left arm, finding that there was no current medical evidence to establish the presence of these disabilities.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under applicable VA regulations.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased evaluation of his left ankle disability and service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, finding that there was no evidence linking the current knee condition to service or his service-connected left ankle disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings for his left knee disability and neurological disorder of the left leg, finding that the evidence did not warrant a rating in excess of the currently assigned 10 percent evaluations.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for a right knee disorder and hypertension, finding that there was no well-grounded evidence to support these claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and increased ratings for lumbosacral strain with arthritis, chondromalacia of the left knee, and chondromalacia of the right knee. The veteran was granted a 10 percent rating for his lumbosacral strain with arthritis.

The Board denied service connection for left and right knee disabilities, finding no evidence of such conditions during or immediately following service.

The veteran's residuals of shell fragment wounds to the right and left popliteal regions are currently evaluated as noncompensably disabling. The Board finds that there is no evidence supporting a higher evaluation based on service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected conditions and for service connection for bronchitis/URI/condition manifested by shortness of breath were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not establish a well-grounded claim for service connection for bronchitis.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for VA examinations to assess the veteran's cervical spine disability and right knee condition. The issue of entitlement to a total rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is also raised by the record.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbosacral strain and dismissed the veteran's appeal regarding increased ratings for his left knee disorder and residuals of a presumed spider bite to the left hand.

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

The Board denied service connection and increased ratings for the veteran's left knee disability, gunshot wound to the popliteal space of the left knee, and PTSD. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service.