Knee decisions — 2006

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal before the Board could make a decision.

The veteran's claim for service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for injuries sustained during his VA hospitalization has been denied as he does not have current disabilities resulting from the incident.

The Board found no current diagnosis of a bilateral knee disorder and thus denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board denied a higher rating for the veteran's service-connected right knee laxity of collateral ligaments, finding that the current 10 percent rating adequately reflects his disability.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including lumbar spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, right wrist disorder, left knee disorder, left ankle disorder, headache disorder, and hearing loss. The decision is based on a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left eye injury residuals, bilateral knee disorder, and diabetes mellitus due to Agent Orange exposure. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for his left knee and hand disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support ratings in excess of 10 percent or 40 percent, respectively.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and failure to provide proper VCAA notification. The veteran is asked to provide information about any treatment he received from private doctors, as well as his service medical records.

The Board has determined that the veteran's DJD of the left knee and lumbosacral spine are proximately due to his service-connected right knee disability, and thus grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims of service connection for right and left knee disabilities due to conflicting medical evidence regarding their onset during active duty.

The Board has granted increased ratings of 20 percent for the veteran's left and right knee disabilities (chondromalacia), effective from January 1, 2003.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence of postoperative right knee functional impairment and requests for a new VA orthopedic examination.

The veteran's case is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and Social Security Administration records.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left knee disability is not related to his military service and has denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for a scar on the left knee, finding that there was no evidence of disability or pain related to the scar.

The veteran's claim is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and schedule a new VA joints examination to determine the current level of impairment due to instability of the left knee.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a hearing before the Board.

The veteran's right knee disability, postoperative residuals of a puncture wound with arthralgia and bone fragments, is rated at 30 percent disabling from February 1, 2005. The RO has granted an increased rating for the condition.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for right knee instability since October 1, 2002 and a 10 percent rating for chondromalacia, arthritis, and painful motion. The claimant's skin disorder is rated as noncompensable.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including an examination to determine if there was muscle damage from the shell fragment wounds and whether a separate rating for that condition should be granted.