Knee decisions — 2006

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability for right knee strain or PTSD, and there is no evidence linking these conditions to service. Therefore, service connection for both conditions is denied.

The Board denied an increased rating for right knee instability and granted a separate compensable rating for arthritis, effective from June 16, 1998.

The Board denied the veteran's claims to reopen his service connection for a right knee disorder and bilateral hearing loss, finding that new and material evidence was not received in either case.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions and therefore service connection is denied for all issues.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining a new examination and clarifying whether he desires a hearing before the Board.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for his right wrist disability and service connection for a left knee disability, finding that there is no evidence of chronic disabilities in service or within one year post-service. The current symptoms are not shown to be related to service.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected left knee injury with chondromalacia, as the evidence did not show additional functional loss due to pain or weakness that would warrant a higher rating.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Board hearing in Los Angeles, California. The case will be returned to the Board after the hearing.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current left knee disability as a result of injury incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's right knee disorder to his military service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has vacated its July 12, 2006 decision and is issuing this remanded decision. The case will be returned to the RO via the AMC for further development and consideration.

The Board denied a higher initial rating for DJD of the right knee, finding that while X-rays confirmed arthritis, the range of motion did not meet criteria for compensable ratings under DCs 5260 and 5261.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a right knee disorder related to service and denied his claim for service connection. The issue of a back disorder is addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.

The veteran's appeal involves multiple conditions, including erectile dysfunction, hearing loss, knee disabilities, cervical spine issues, blackouts and memory loss, and stomach problems. The Board has ordered additional medical examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions, as well as whether service connection can be established for them.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorder and skin rash, finding no evidence of a nexus to his military service. The left ankle disability was rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for increased ratings for right knee arthritis, right knee instability, and left knee arthritis are denied as there is no evidence of additional impairment warranting higher evaluations.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of April 1, 2003 for the grant of service connection and a 10 percent rating for degenerative joint disease of the left knee. The evidence did not show that the condition existed prior to this date.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of her claims, including obtaining any additional treatment records.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for a left knee disability, bilateral hip disability, and depressive disorder. The decision found that new evidence did not establish a plausible relationship between these conditions and service or any service-connected disabilities.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee and right knee disabilities were denied. The left knee disability is currently rated at 10 percent, while the right knee disability has been rated as 10 percent since its initial award of service connection.