Knee decisions — 2002

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for the residuals of a shell fragment wound of the left knee. The claim is therefore granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a left knee disability that is attributable to his military service.

The Board denied a compensable rating for the veteran's service-connected right knee disability, finding that her symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The VA determined that the veteran's right and left knee chondromalacia do not warrant an evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Board found no current left knee disability and denied service connection for a left knee disorder.

The VA has determined that the veteran's right knee replacement does not warrant a higher disability rating than 30 percent.

The Board found that the veteran's right knee disorder and back disorder are not related to his service-connected left knee disability, and thus denied claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's disability compensation was properly reduced to a 10 percent rate effective August 30, 1997 due to his incarceration. The appeal is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a right knee disorder, generalized arthritis, low back pain, and residuals of fusion of the anterior portion of T-10 to T-11. The decision also denied his claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability.

The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for the veteran's service-connected right knee disability, which is currently rated as 30 percent disabling. The claim to reopen the left knee disorder secondary to the service-connected right knee disability was denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The veteran's sleep apnea is found to be attributable to service, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the veteran's service-connected right knee disability, finding moderate impairment due to arthritis and severe instability. The other issues on appeal have been denied.

The Board has granted increased ratings for the veteran's right knee disorder and low back pain, both currently rated at 30 percent. The claim to reopen service connection for a left knee disorder secondary to his right knee disorder is also granted.

The veteran's statutory period of eligibility for vocational rehabilitation under Chapter 31 expired in May 1986, and the criteria for extension of that period are not met. The Board found no serious employment handicap preventing the veteran from continuing his full-time employment.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's preexisting left knee disorder did not worsen during service and is therefore not service-connected.

The June 1979 RO decision did not assign a single 10% rating for multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities of the knees under 38 C.F.R. § 3.324, as there was no evidence showing that these conditions clearly interfered with normal employability.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to their death.

The Board found that the veteran's right knee disability, which includes residuals of a previous surgery and arthritis, does not warrant an increased rating since July 1993.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability. The VA examiner concluded that the service-connected motor vehicle accident contributed to increased degenerative osteoarthritis of the right knee.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that his current left knee injury was not proximately caused by or the result of his service-connected right knee instability.