Knee decisions — 2005

The Board found that the veteran's symptoms of instability in his left knee are moderate, warranting a 20 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5257. A higher rating is not warranted as the evidence does not support severe instability.

The Board denied the appellant's claims of service connection for PTSD, residuals of bilateral arm fractures, dermatologic condition including hair loss, and right knee disability.

The Board has denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim of service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, finding that no new and material evidence has been received.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability and an increased evaluation for her right knee disability, finding no evidence linking these conditions to her military service.

The Board denied the claims for higher initial ratings for instability as a residual of a left knee meniscus tear and limited extension of the left knee, finding that additional evidence was needed to determine the current severity of these disabilities.

The veteran's service-connected right knee degenerative joint disease, PTSD, and current conditions of dyshidrotic dermatitis of the hands and acne vulgaris are all granted. However, his right ear hearing loss remains noncompensable.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for residuals, right knee surgery with removal of loose bodies with instability. The veteran's DJD of the right knee is rated at 10 percent.

The Board found no evidence of ankylosis or severe impairment in the right wrist, and thus denied a higher evaluation for right forearm tendonitis. The claim for PTSD was also denied as there is no indication that it has presented such an unusual disability picture requiring an extraschedular evaluation.

The Board has determined that the appellant's right knee disability warrants a 40 percent evaluation, reflecting significant functional impairment and pain.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether the veteran's degenerative joint disease of the left knee is caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities (herniated cervical disc at C5-C6 and degenerative disc disease at L4-L5).

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling an examination to assess the severity of his left knee disorder.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for a right leg disorder, which was denied in 1975 due to pre-existing conditions. The RO again declined to reopen the claim in 1998.

The Board has determined that the veteran's degenerative joint disease of the right knee was incurred in service and granted service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's arthritis of the bilateral knee was incurred in service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including an examination and consideration of new evidence.

The VA has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right knee as secondary to a service-connected left knee disorder and assigned an initial disability rating of 10 percent.

The Board found that the February 2002 rating decision granting service connection for left knee strain, status-post left pelvic fracture, and status-post left forearm fracture was not undebatably erroneous. The veteran's cervical spine disability, left ankle disability, and left foot disability were not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a broken left foot, fracture of left wrist, and bilateral knee disability due to lack of evidence of current disabilities.

The veteran's service-connected retropatellar pain syndrome, left knee, was not rated higher than noncompensable during the entire rating period.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The right elbow disability was rated at 10 percent, while the right knee disability was rated at 20 percent.