Knee decisions — 2003

The VA has determined that the veteran's knee conditions do not warrant a higher rating based on current evidence and regulations.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee disorder is not related to his service-connected left medial meniscectomy and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings have been denied. The VA has determined that the current levels of disability do not warrant higher ratings.

The veteran's appeal for service connection for residuals of a right knee sprain, including degenerative changes, has been dismissed due to the death of the veteran.

The veteran's internal derangement of the right knee is manifested by subluxation or lateral instability that is no more than moderate, with pain and slight limitation of motion, and mild to moderate arthritic changes. The RO has granted a 20 percent evaluation for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for a left knee disability due to VA surgical treatment and an increased evaluation for isolated left peroneal nerve palsy, finding no additional disability of the left knee resulting from such treatment. The TDIU claim is also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased initial ratings for his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities and instability of the right knee, finding that the initially assigned evaluations did not adequately reflect the severity of those conditions.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for arthritis of the right knee was denied as his current rating of 10 percent is not supported by the evidence, which does not show that he meets the criteria for a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee and back disorders are not service-connected, as there is no evidence of such conditions during or immediately following his military service. The claim for increased evaluation for bilateral hearing loss disability was also denied.

The veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease, T12-S1, was denied an increased evaluation. His service-connected right knee and left knee disabilities were granted increased evaluations of 40% and 10%, respectively. The veteran's history of asthma was granted a 30% evaluation.

The Board denied service connection for COPD, Right Shoulder Disability, and Left Knee Disability. The veteran's COPD is not considered to have been incurred in or aggravated by military service. His Right Shoulder Disability and Left Knee Disability are also not considered to be related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral cataracts and an increased rating for chondromalacia of the left knee. The veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disability does not warrant a rating higher than the current 10 percent evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right and left knee disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of subluxation or instability in either knee. The psychiatric disability claim was also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hair loss, menstrual irregularity, and knee joint pain as undiagnosed illnesses due to her military service in the Southwest Asia theater during the Persian Gulf War. The Board found that there was no evidence of a relationship between these conditions and an undiagnosed illness.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right knee strain, currently rated at 10 percent. The evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has granted a 20 percent evaluation for degenerative arthritis of the right knee from January 8, 2000. The appellant's instability of the right knee is separately rated at 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's diabetes mellitus is severe enough to warrant a 60 percent rating, but her right knee disability does not meet the criteria for a higher than 30 percent rating.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting left knee and bilateral pes planus disabilities did not worsen during service, and denied claims for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and calcaneal spurs of the left heel. The veteran's right knee condition is not considered to have been incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor may arthritis of the right knee be presumed to have been incurred or aggravated in active service. The Board has also granted service connection for patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee and degenerative joint disease of the left knee on a new and material basis.