Knee decisions — 2005

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to a lack of appellate review prior to VA examination and because additional evidence is needed. The claims will be adjudicated after further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that it did not result from active service or a service-connected condition.

Your claims for service connection are being remanded to the Regional Office (RO) for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records. The RO will then decide whether you are entitled to these conditions based on the evidence provided.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to unresolved questions regarding the relationship between in-service left knee injury and current arthritis, as well as rheumatic heart disease.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected right knee disability, characterized as arthritis with torn medial meniscus and instability, warrants a 10 percent rating for each condition. The current ratings are maintained.

The veteran's increased rating for a service-connected left knee disability was granted, with a 100% rating effective from August 1, 2003.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a bilateral knee disorder and finds that it is not related to service.

The VA determined that the veteran does not have a current right knee disorder and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the RO's decision to sever service connection for DJD of the knees was improper, and thus service connection is restored.

The Board has determined that the veteran currently has a kyphoscoliosis of the thoracic and lumbar spine, which is likely to have had its clinical onset during service. The right knee disorder and left knee disorder are not shown to be related to service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left knee and lumbar spine disabilities have been denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial ratings and earlier effective dates for her service-connected right knee disorder, ganglion cyst of the left wrist, and left middle finger disorder. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was not addressed as it is a separate issue.

The Board found that the appellant did not meet the criteria for benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to a fall at a VA medical facility in December 1991, as there is no credible evidence indicating any additional disabilities resulted from this incident.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and elevated triglycerides, a nervous disorder, and tendonitis of the arms, hands, and knees, all claimed as due to herbicide exposure. The skin condition claim was not addressed in this decision.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected right knee disorder more likely than not contributed to his back pain, and granted service connection for multiple levels of degeneration throughout the spine as secondary to his service-connected post-traumatic arthritis of the right knee.

The Board finds that the veteran's right knee disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is therefore denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral leg, knee, and left shoulder disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated during military service.

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

The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for the veteran's recurrent bilateral migratory thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities, with varicosities below the knee.

The Board found that the veteran's left knee disability was not incurred or aggravated during military service and denied his claim.