Knee decisions — 2001

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected chondromalacia and Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the right knee warrants a 10 percent disability evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities are so severe as to prevent him from engaging in substantial gainful employment.

The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise that the veteran has residuals of a left knee injury with degenerative joint disease, status post arthroplasty, which was incurred during service. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.

The veteran's right and left knee disorders are each rated at 10 percent disabling, resulting in a combined evaluation of 20 percent for multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities. The issue of entitlement to a compensable rating based on the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 3.324 is moot as the veteran's conditions are already rated appropriately.

The veteran's appeal for service connection on all the listed issues was dismissed due to a failure to file a timely substantive appeal.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for a left knee disability, finding no evidence of a current condition and no link to service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities of the left and right knees render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus meeting the criteria for TDIU.

The Board denied the veteran's motion to revise their March 1986 decision, concluding that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the original decision.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further proceedings, including arranging for a medical examination and obtaining clarifying opinions on the veteran's service-connected disabilities and their impact on his ability to work.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not submit a timely substantive appeal for his claims of service connection and increased evaluation, resulting in those determinations becoming final.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected hypertension and left knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The Board denied service connection for right hip and left knee disabilities, finding no evidence of current manifestations or chronicity in service. The original compensable rating claim for bronchitis was also denied.

The veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral knee disabilities were dismissed as he did not file a timely substantive appeal.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing the veteran with secondary service connection regulations.

The veteran's service-connected disc degeneration, L5/S1, was granted a 40 percent evaluation effective July 1, 2000. His allergic asthma and chondromalacia patella (left knee) were not rated higher.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations were denied. Service connection was granted for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction of the right knee, but not for residuals of a fracture to the right ankle or residuals of distal radius fracture of the right wrist (major).

The Board found that the veteran's right below-the-knee amputation was not related to VA treatment and denied his claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee strain, finding that the veteran's current condition is related to an injury sustained during active duty for training in March 1995.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD and right knee disability are severe enough to prevent him from obtaining or maintaining employment, meeting the criteria for a total rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a right knee disability, flat feet, low back disorder, and other injuries. The RO granted service connection for a chip fracture of the second finger of the right hand but denied all other claims.