Knee decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed shoulder, finger, knee, leg, and hip conditions are not service-connected due to lack of evidence showing a direct connection between his in-service exposure to cold weather and current disabilities.

The VA medical center did not cause any additional disability to the veteran's right thigh, knee, and upper groin as a result of an alleged fall during his November 1998 eye surgery.

The Board has determined that the veteran is not entitled to service connection for a right knee disorder due to lack of credible evidence of an in-service injury or disease. The claim for left knee disorder was also denied as there were no objective findings or complaints related to the knees during service.

The Board found no current chronic disability due to a head injury in service and denied the veteran's claims for residuals of a right knee injury and an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder, which was previously denied in September 1979. As such, the claim is now reopened.

The Board has determined that the veteran's lumbar spine disorder, bilateral knee disorders, and bilateral hip disorders are not service-connected. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete medical opinions regarding the relationship between the veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability and his claimed conditions.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for further evaluation of his right knee disability, including an additional VA examination to assess the current severity and any symptoms related to service connection.

The veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his chronic low back disability with degenerative disc disease and arthritis of the left knee were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a staged rating in excess of 20 percent for either condition.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to work prior to March 29, 1996. The Board found that the evidence did not reflect such disability prior to this date.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the assignment of a 10 percent disability rating for osteoarthritis and chondromalacia of the left knee, finding that no factually ascertainable increase in disability occurred within one year prior to the veteran's July 30, 1998 claim.

The RO denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations of her left knee instability and service connection for right knee instability and a left foot disorder. The RO also upheld the reduction from 30 percent to 20 percent disability rating for her left knee instability effective December 1, 1998.

The veteran's left knee disability is rated at 10 percent, and his low back condition was denied service connection.

The Board denied increased evaluations for the veteran's right knee conditions, finding that there was no evidence of severe instability warranting a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5257. The veteran is currently rated at 20 percent for his post-operative meniscectomy and 10 percent for traumatic arthritis.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right knee condition, currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board has dismissed the appeal as the benefit sought on appeal (service connection for left knee disorder, including degenerative arthritis) has been granted by the RO.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee and back disabilities, assigning separate initial 10 percent ratings for each condition.

The Board has determined that the evidence submitted to reopen the claim is not new and material, thus denying the reopening of the claim for service connection for chondromalacia of the left knee with degenerative arthritis.

The VA determined that the veteran does not have a current shoulder or knee disorder, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions.,Service connection was denied for bilateral shoulder and knee disorders due to lack of evidence showing a current disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records regarding the veteran's Reserve duty, which is crucial for determining whether her knee injuries occurred during active duty or reserve service. The veteran must provide additional documentation from the Army Reserves.