Knee decisions — 2002

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left knee disorder and residuals of a fracture of the left ring finger were not incurred during active service. The preponderance of evidence does not support these claims.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed disabilities are not related to his military service and denied all claims for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of hands, shoulders, knees, ankles, and cervical spine, finding no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's patellofemoral pain syndrome of the right and left knees are characterized by full range of motion, with no significant arthritic changes. The veteran is denied a compensable initial rating for his bilateral knee conditions.,The veteran's tinea versicolor of the face, ears, and toes is characterized by scaling, flaking, and itching, as well as mild facial pigmentation. He is denied an increased rating in excess of 30 percent.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for secondary service connection for right knee disability and an increased evaluation for left knee disability. The decision is pending further development.

The Board has determined that the veteran's arthritis of the knees is related to an injury sustained during service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for secondary service connection for left AKA, finding that his condition is not related to a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral chondromalacia of the knees was incurred in service and grants his claim for service connection.

The VA has determined that the veteran's right knee disorder does not warrant a rating higher than 30 percent, as there is no evidence of severe painful motion or weakness in the affected extremity.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of a low back disability secondary to his left knee disability and an increased evaluation for his left knee disability, finding that new and material evidence had not been presented to reopen the claim for a low back disability and that the criteria for an increased rating were not met.

The veteran's nonservice-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee arthritis warrants a compensable disability rating of 10 percent, and service connection for residuals of right shoulder acromioclavicular separation is granted.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including as secondary to herbicide exposure (Agent Orange), were denied. The Board found no evidence of current disability or a link between the claimed conditions and Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for his left foot and left knee disabilities are denied as there is no evidence of more than slight impairment at any time during the appeal period.

The veteran's claim for increased evaluations for his post-operative left knee disability has been granted with a 60 percent evaluation effective from August 2000 for the post-operative left knee replacement, and a separate 30 percent evaluation for left knee instability under DC 5257.

The Board denied service connection for gastritis, left hip disability, sciatica, and left knee disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for a hearing before the Board at the RO.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities have impaired her ability to obtain and retain employment consistent with her abilities, aptitudes, and interests. Therefore, she is eligible for vocational rehabilitation training under Chapter 31 of Title 38, United States Code.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected left knee replacement and right shoulder disorder, finding that the schedular criteria did not meet the requirements for higher ratings.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including cervical spine disorder, back disorder, bilateral shoulder disorder, tinnitus, rhinitis, otitis media, and residuals of tonsillectomy. The arthritis of the knees is separately rated at 10 percent.