Knee decisions — 2006

The Board has granted a higher rating of 30 percent for the veteran's left knee disability, effective from March 22, 2005.

The veteran's arthritis of the knees is found to be etiologically related to service, and service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board found no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's bilateral knee disorder to her military service and denied her claim for service connection.

The Board found no evidence to support a service connection for the veteran's left knee disorder, concluding that any current condition is not related to his inservice injury.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral defective hearing and chronic tinnitus must be denied due to lack of evidence showing current disability. The case is being remanded for additional examinations and development of records, including for increased evaluations of his service-connected anxiety disorder, left knee disorder, and residuals of brain concussion (including headaches).

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected post traumatic osteoarthritis of the right knee does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for chondromalacia of the patella, right and left knees. The Board also found that the veteran's current bilateral knee condition is related to his military service.

The VA Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss and right knee synovitis with chondromalacia do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under the applicable VA Rating Schedule.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder and a psychiatric disorder due to personal assault, characterized as PTSD with depression. The denial is based on insufficient evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The claim for increased ratings for bilateral knee disabilities and diabetes mellitus is being remanded.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his left knee disability.

The case is being returned to the RO for further evaluation of the veteran's knee and hand conditions due to inadequate medical opinions in previous evaluations.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection were denied. The RO found that the schedular criteria for disability ratings did not meet the requirements under the applicable VA rating criteria.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected retropatellar pain syndrome of the left knee warranted a 10 percent rating, effective from November 21, 2002.

The veteran's right knee disability, including post-surgical meniscectomy and arthritis, is currently rated at 10 percent. The Board found no basis for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board found no left knee condition during service or within one year after separation. The veteran's claim for a back condition was denied in 1974, and new evidence submitted since then is sufficient to reopen the claim.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims due to the need for a Travel Board hearing on her transitional cell carcinoma claim and a VA examination to determine if she has a right knee disability related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the veteran's death was caused by deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, which may have been related to his service-connected right knee surgery. The appellant will be given more time to develop medical evidence for the record before a medical opinion is sought from a competent authority.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of September 30, 2003 for a 30 percent disability evaluation for his left knee disorder, status post left knee replacement. The evidence does not support granting an earlier effective date.

The Board found that the veteran's right knee disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, nor may osteoarthritis of the right knee be presumed to have been so incurred.