Knee decisions — 2006

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, but denied service connection for bilateral hip and knee disabilities as they are not proximately due to or the result of service-connected right foot disabilities.

The Board has granted secondary service connection for left knee degenerative joint disease and assigned a 10 percent rating for the residuals of a left heel injury. The compensable initial ratings for the skin graft donor sites have also been granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not meet the basic eligibility requirements for a nonservice-connected pension due to his service not occurring during a period of war or in the Persian Gulf War, and thus denied the claim.

The Board found no evidence of service connection for the claimed conditions and denied all claims.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a head injury, asthma, degenerative joint disease (including that of the knees), and bilateral foot disability. The veteran's claims were previously denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have any current disabilities related to service, including knee, leg, foot, hearing loss, eye, and PTSD.

The veteran's service-connected total left knee replacement is rated at 60 percent, which is the highest schedular rating available for this condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed back and left knee disorders are not related to service, and thus denied his claims.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right knee disability is denied as the evidence does not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability and a right knee disability, but denied service connection for the status postoperative bilateral vasectomy. The veteran's GERD is currently rated as noncompensable, and his subacute dermatitis of the hands does not meet the criteria for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating of his right knee disability, finding that it did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board found no evidence to support the veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability and denied his claim. The issue of entitlement to an initial compensable evaluation for residuals of a chip fracture of the 2nd finger of the right hand was also addressed, but further development is required as per the September 2005 remand instructions.

The veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities have been rated based on their current manifestations, with no additional increased ratings being warranted.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for financial assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing or special home adaptations due to his inability to qualify based on loss of use of both lower extremities, blindness in both eyes with only light perception, or anatomical loss or loss of use of one lower extremity.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disorder, as secondary to the service-connected right knee disabilities was denied due to his failure to appear for a VA examination without good cause.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disorder was aggravated by and, thus, secondary to his service-connected right knee disorder. As a result, the claim for service connection is granted.

The RO denied the veteran's requests for higher evaluations for his right and left knee disabilities, assigning a noncompensable evaluation prior to September 23, 2005, and denying entitlement to increased ratings after that date.

The Board has granted the veteran's motion to advance his appeal on the docket and determined that service connection is warranted for chondromalacia patella of the left knee. The Board denied service connection for depressive disorder, finding no evidence linking it to service or as secondary to a knee disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for secondary service connection for pulmonary embolism and increased ratings for left knee instability and arthritis, finding that there was insufficient evidence to support a relationship between his current conditions and his service-connected left knee disorder.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current bilateral knee or left wrist disability and therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.