Knee decisions — 2003

The appeal has been dismissed as the appellant and his representative have withdrawn the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development and consideration of his claims, including the provision of proper notice and assistance.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder, carpal tunnel syndrome, and right knee disorder. The evidence does not establish a direct relationship between these conditions and his active military service or any service-connected disability.

The Board has ordered further development in your case, including obtaining medical records and arranging for examinations to assess the severity of your service-connected disabilities. The appeal is currently pending due to this additional development.

The Board has ordered further development due to pending issues regarding the veteran's right knee disability, including its relationship to service and whether it is related to a pre-existing condition.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and found that the veteran's current hearing loss is related to noise exposure during his military service. The other claims are pending further development.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for lumbosacral spine disorder, left knee degenerative joint disease, and right knee degenerative joint disease as secondary to his service-connected right ankle disability.

The veteran's right ankle strain is not shown to be productive of moderate limitation of motion, arthritis, ankylosis, malunion of os calcis or astragalus, or astragalectomy. As such, the preponderance of evidence does not support a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 5271.

The veteran's PTSD claim was granted with a 30% rating effective June 4, 2001. The right leg disability claim for service connection has not been reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a chronic acquired psychiatric disorder related to service and his left knee, left hip, and back disorders are not proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected left foot disability.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right knee disabilities and service connection for a foot and heel disorder were denied. The RO found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating or service connection.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee disorder. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and arranging for an orthopedic examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his military service and have denied all of his claims.

The Board has ordered further development due to pending issues regarding the evaluation of the veteran's right knee condition. The case is now being sent back for additional evidence and examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left knee degenerative joint disease and right ankle disability, both secondary to his service-connected right knee total arthroplasty.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The RO will also review the claims file to ensure all notification and development actions have been completed.

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected right knee disability does not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to his condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee disability and headaches are not related to service or any service-connected conditions.

The case is being remanded for additional development to determine the veteran's bilateral knee disability and its relationship to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for left knee patellofemoral syndrome with a torn medial meniscus, finding that her disability did not warrant such a higher rating based on functional loss due to pain or flare-ups.