Knee decisions — 2004

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to provide proper VCAA notice.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current right knee, left knee, or heart disease disability and that his hypertension was not present during service or related to service. As such, these claims are denied.

The Board has denied service connection for an eye disability, a lumbar spine disability, and a bilateral knee disability due to lack of evidence establishing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The veteran's appeal for increased ratings on his service-connected knee conditions and bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the veteran withdrawing his appeals with respect to these issues.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development of medical evidence, including VA spine and knee examinations.

The appeal is remanded to the Appeals Management Center (AMC) in Washington, DC for further action. The veteran's claims for service connection and reopening of his PTSD claim are being reviewed.

The veteran's service-connected knee and back conditions were granted, with a 10% evaluation for each condition effective February 16, 2002. The left ankle tendonitis was found noncompensably disabling.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of his knee and ankle disorders.

The Board found that the bilateral factor was properly applied to the veteran's service-connected disabilities of the lower extremities. The veteran did not initiate a timely appeal regarding the effective date for his left knee disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a left knee disability, allergic rhinitis, and an eye disorder. The appeals were not about service connection at all.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and found it was incurred as a result of service. The veteran's other claims, including those related to degenerative arthritis and undiagnosed illness, are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted increased evaluations for the veteran's right knee chondromalacia and left total knee replacement, with a rating of 30 percent effective from January 1, 1997.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including hip and knee disabilities, headaches, memory loss, hypertension, vision problems, skin conditions, chronic fatigue syndrome, and libido issues. The appeal was reopened on new evidence.

The veteran's left knee disability is manifested by degenerative joint disease, causing subjective complaints of pain and functional impairment. The RO has assigned a 10 percent rating for this condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected post-operative residuals of right knee tendon transplant.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current low back or bilateral knee disability as a result of his active service. The claims for service connection are denied.

The Board found that the veteran's left and right knee disorders were not incurred as a result of his active military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an updated VA examination to determine if the veteran's right knee disability is secondary to his service-connected left knee injury.

The Board has granted a 100 percent evaluation for PTSD, which renders moot the issue of entitlement to TDIU prior to September 2000.

The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and bipolar disorder. The right knee disability claim is being remanded to the RO.