Knee decisions — 2003

The Board denied service connection for right and left knee disorders, finding that the veteran's knee pain was not related to his foot conditions or any other service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left knee disability is related to his military service and grants service connection for residuals of a left knee injury.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left knee disability is service-connected, while his right knee disability does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 and to reopen his service connection claim, finding no new and material evidence and concluding that the veteran's impotence and right knee disability are not related to his VA surgeries or service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current right knee, left knee, or right ankle disabilities and therefore service connection for these conditions cannot be granted.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and left ankle disorders, finding new evidence that supports a claim of aggravation during active service.

The Board has found new and material evidence to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disorder, which was previously denied in November 1998.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, finding no competent medical evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, duodenal ulcer with gastroesophageal reflux, and synovitis of the left knee, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. Therefore, his claim for TDIU is granted.

The veteran's request for a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals has been granted, and his case is being remanded to the RO for further development.

The veteran's stomach disorder, degenerative arthritis of the knees, and depression with cognitive disorder are presumed to have been incurred in service due to his deployment during the Gulf War. However, there is no evidence linking his breathing problems to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current left knee disorder or Meniere's syndrome, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied. The veteran's hearing loss in his left ear is currently rated as noncompensable.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder and reopened the veteran's claim for service connection of his left knee disorder. The low back disorder is found to be related to service, while the left knee disorder is found to have been aggravated by service.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have a current psychiatric disorder, left knee disorder, or right shoulder instability. The preponderance of evidence is against finding these conditions.

The VA denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and right knee injuries, finding that his conditions did not warrant higher disability evaluations based on current symptomatology.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for left knee disorder, right knee disorder, and recurrent staph infections. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arteriosclerotic heart and vascular disease, joint pain, numbness in upper extremities, tingling in lower extremities, poor circulation, and a left leg below-the-knee amputation. The claim for hypertension was also denied.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for chronic low back pain and arthritis of the left knee were denied due to failure to report for VA examinations without good cause.

The Board has granted initial ratings of 20 percent for postoperative residuals of a left ankle injury, effective from September 1, 1997.

The Board has determined that the appellant's left knee arthritis, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus are all related to his active military service.