Knee decisions — 2005

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected residuals of a right tibia stress fracture with right knee pain syndrome is currently manifested by no more than impairment of the tibia with slight knee or ankle disability, and thus does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for osteochondritis dessicans of the right femur and residuals of a back injury, finding no current diagnosis or evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The VA determined that the veteran's right knee disability, which includes postoperative residuals of reconstructive surgery and accompanying arthritis, does not warrant a rating in excess of 20 percent.

The Board has denied service connection for a right knee disability, but granted an increased rating of 20 percent for the veteran's right ankle disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of degenerative disc disease of the cervical and lumbar spine as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.

The VA has determined that the veteran's right knee total arthroplasty does not warrant a rating higher than 30 percent from May 1, 2002.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for his left knee meniscectomy, left knee arthritis, and right knee injury with traumatic arthritis. The current ratings of 10 percent are deemed appropriate based on the medical evidence.

The Board has determined that no new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for shrapnel wounds of the left knee and left shoulder, which were previously denied in August 1997.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee arthritis and assigned a 20 percent rating effective June 15, 2002. Other issues remain pending.

The veteran's claims are being remanded for additional medical examination and to obtain outstanding records. The RO must address whether a separate 10 percent rating is warranted for arthritis of the left or right knee.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbosacral strain and chondromalacia of both knees, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under VA's schedular guidelines.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and a bilateral knee disorder due to lack of medical evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board denied an increased disability rating for chondromalacia of the right knee, finding that the current 10 percent evaluation adequately reflects the severity of her disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for residuals of a neck injury and residuals of a left knee injury, finding that the evidence did not warrant higher ratings under applicable rating criteria.

The Board finds that the veteran's gout, chondromalacia of the left knee, and chondromalacia of the right knee do not warrant an initial compensable rating under VA regulations.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess his diabetes mellitus and knee disorders.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a personal hearing and a prehearing conference.

The VA denied an increased rating for internal derangement of the left knee, but granted a compensable evaluation for traumatic arthritis of the left knee.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than September 3, 1996 for the grant of special monthly compensation based on housebound status. The decision stated that there was no prior claim and that the veteran did not meet the criteria for benefits at the 'housebound' rate under 38 U.S.C.A. 1114(s).

The case is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records from the Dallas VAMC and requesting an opinion on whether the veteran's disabilities are related to his military service.