Knee decisions — 2004

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of the veteran's right knee disability. The issue is whether an increased evaluation or separate evaluations are warranted.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a neck injury, right knee injury, and back injury (claimed as lumbar strain).,Service connection was not granted for the veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if the veteran's left knee disorder is related to service, including ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA. The claim will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Board found no evidence of a current left knee disability and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and bilateral knee disorder, including arthritis, were not incurred or aggravated during service. The claims are therefore denied.

The veteran's osteoarthritis of the spine, shoulders, hands, knees, wrists, hips, and right foot was found to be directly related to his service. The muscle pain and joint pain noted in his April 1991 examination are considered as part of this condition.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for left knee chondromalacia patella and limitation of motion, as well as a separate evaluation for migraine headaches. The ratings assigned were 20% for left knee instability and 10% for left knee limitation of motion.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his right knee disorder, which was previously rated at 10 percent and retroactively effective from July 1996, has been denied. The VA examiner found the veteran to have mild degenerative joint disease of the right knee with no associated impairment of the tibia and fibula or recurrent subluxation or lateral instability.

The Board dismissed the appellant's appeal due to their death, and no further action can be taken on this case.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and ensuring compliance with the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability due to lack of evidence of current disability.

The Board has denied reopening of claims for service connection for right knee, left hand, and left leg disabilities. The claim for service connection for a left shoulder disability is reopened based on new evidence provided by the veteran.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for chronic right knee disorder and chronic right foot disorder, as new and material evidence has been received.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, peptic ulcer disease, sinusitis, refractive error, arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, arthritis of the right knee, and arthritis of the left knee were denied. The decision is based on a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty service.

The Board has denied service connection for a right ankle disorder and left ankle disorder. The case is being remanded to the RO for further development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for an orthopedic examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for reopening his right knee disorder service connection due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including pseudofolliculitis barbae and myasthenia gravis. The decision also found no new and material evidence to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disability.

The Board has granted a 20 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected residuals of arthroscopy of the right knee, with a chondral ulcer of the femoral condyle from April 29, 2004 onwards.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the right knee, finding that a 60 percent rating was appropriate based on the current functional impairment. The left knee condition did not warrant a separate rating.

The Board has ordered the RO to obtain additional service medical records, specifically morning reports from July to September 1953. The appeal is now remanded for further development.