Knee decisions — 2003

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee surgery did not result in additional disability due to VA fault, and therefore denied compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that his current condition is not related to an injury in service and concluding that there is no evidence linking his current disability to any incident during his military service.

The RO granted service connection for pes planus, herniated nucleus pulposus at the L2 level with chronic low back pain, degenerative joint disease of the left knee, and impingement syndrome of the right shoulder. The veteran's claims for increased ratings for hemorrhoids, pes planus, and herniated nucleus pulposus were granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee and back and neck disabilities are not related to service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the left and right knees, finding no current evidence to support these conditions.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for left knee disorder, including Osgood-Schlatter's disease and old partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament. However, it is unclear whether the current injury is related to service or a pre-existing condition.

The veteran's service-connected right knee conditions have been rated at the maximum available under the applicable diagnostic codes, with a separate rating for each condition. The RO has granted increased ratings for both his status post right knee meniscectomy and degenerative joint disease of the right knee.

The Board has remanded the case for a video conference hearing due to the veteran's request.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee disorder is not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected left knee disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

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

The Board has determined that the veteran's lumbar spine and bilateral knee disabilities were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may arthritis be presumed to have been incurred in service. The gastrointestinal disability was denied due to lack of evidence showing a chronic condition.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and residuals of a left knee injury due to new evidence submitted since the original denial in November 1993.

The Board found that the veteran's left hip, knee, and ankle disorders are not related to his service or any service-connected condition. The right thigh gunshot wound residuals cause severe impairment.

The veteran is seeking service connection for a low back condition (lumbosacral discogenic disease) that he claims is secondary to his already service-connected right and left knee conditions. The case has been remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing.

The veteran's claim for an increase in the rating of her left knee arthrotomy was denied due to her failure to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.

The veteran's initial claim for service connection for residuals of a left knee injury was denied in an August 1972 decision. The RO granted service connection and assigned a 10 percent rating, effective November 20, 1998, but the veteran did not appeal this decision. He now claims there was clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the August 1972 decision.

The VA has granted an increased rating of 10% for synovitis of the left knee, but denied a claim for increased ratings for bursitis of the right knee. The decision is based on the current service-connected conditions without any presumption or new evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected conditions do not warrant a higher rating for any of the issues addressed.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disability warrants a 30 percent evaluation, effective from the date of the claim. A separate rating for arthritis is granted.

The Board has determined that the RO's decision granting an increase in the service-connected left knee disorder to 10 percent disabling, effective from August 25, 1997, is denied as there are outstanding requests for a hearing and additional development of medical records.