Knee decisions — 2005

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and development of his claims.

The VA determined that the veteran's right knee arthritis, established by X-ray findings, causes only noncompensable limitation of motion due to pain and does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and the need for additional VA examinations. The veteran's claims of service connection for a left knee disability and an increased rating for his right knee disorder are pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for hepatitis C, headaches, a right shoulder disorder, a left foot condition, and a right knee disorder. The Board found that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service.

The veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his right and left knee disabilities has been withdrawn due to the assignment of an effective date of March 1998.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current bilateral knee disorder is secondary to his service-connected reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have degenerative joint disease of the right knee, left knee, lumbar or thoracic spine, right hip, or arms during service or within one year after separation from service. The veteran's current diagnoses are not related to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder, left leg amputation at the knee, and heart disease, including coronary artery disease. The evidence did not support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current ligament strain of the left knee was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not related to service or any incident therein. As a result, the claim for service connection for ligament strain of the left knee is denied.

The veteran's right knee disability is rated at 10 percent, and his left knee DJD is also rated at 10 percent. The RO granted service connection for both conditions.

The Board found no evidence of chronic low back, left knee, or right ankle disorders during service. The veteran's current conditions are not linked to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for low back disorder, lung disorder (asthma/reactive airways disease), and left knee disorder. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during his period of honorable active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for his right knee injury and service connection for generalized degenerative arthritis, finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation based on instability or secondary service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his knee disabilities were granted, with a 20 percent evaluation assigned for each knee. The claim for service connection for actinic keratoses (claimed as skin cancer) was also granted and reopened on the basis of new evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased disability ratings for various conditions, including a right arm disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, skin disorder, ankle disorders, knee meniscal tear, and left knee strain. The appeals were based on evidence not related to any presumptive exposure or previously service-connected condition.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected total right knee replacement, currently rated at 30 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed right knee disability is not related to his service and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his service-connected PTSD and degenerative joint disease of the right knee. The RO had previously granted these conditions with effective dates of February 5, 1996.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral leg disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current disabilities and events during military service.

The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's service-connected patellofemoral syndrome of both knees, finding that the current disability ratings adequately reflect the severity and symptoms of his knee conditions.