Knee decisions — 2006

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to evaluate her bilateral knee disability and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of records.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including residuals of right knee injury, right foot toenail injury, low back pain with neuropathy, and vision problems. The veteran's claims were not supported by current medical evidence or a link to his military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for defective hearing, a back disorder, a dermatological disorder involving the feet and body (claimed as chloracne), visual impairment, bilateral hip and knee disorders, a bilateral shoulder disorder, a neck disorder, a hand and fingers disorder, and a bilateral leg disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence of chronicity for these conditions post-service and concluded that service connection is not warranted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected right knee degenerative joint disease does not warrant an increased rating based on limitation of motion or other criteria. The low back disability is also rated at its maximum allowable under current diagnostic codes.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete notification and assistance provided by VA.

The Board finds the preponderance of the evidence is against the veteran's claim for a combined rating in excess of 20 percent for his right knee disability. The veteran does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a diagnosis of PTSD and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claim of service connection for traumatic arthritis of the knees due to insufficient evidence and legal error in previous determinations.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have a current chronic knee disorder or bilateral hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes. The service-connected benign prostate hypertrophy with incomplete voiding is currently evaluated as noncompensable.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder are all service-connected. The right knee disorder is considered to have been aggravated during active duty, while the left knee disorder is not service-connected.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and providing notice of what information is needed to substantiate the claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of aggravation by service and thus denying the claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and increased ratings for his low back disabilities. The decision also noted that there was no compensable evaluation for chondromalacia of the right knee.

The Board has determined that a combined rating of 30 percent is warranted for the veteran's service-connected right knee disability, based on a formulation of 20 percent for instability/subluxation and 10 percent for arthritis with painful motion.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death was not related to his military service and denied entitlement to improved pension benefits due to the appellant's income exceeding the maximum limit.

The veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability and increased ratings for her service-connected knees were denied. The Board found no evidence of a chronic low back disability during active duty or within one year after separation, and concluded that the current low back disability is not related to military service.

The Board found that the veteran's right knee disability, manifested by complaints of pain on motion and very slight limitation of flexion, does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right and left knee disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during service, and thus denied his claims for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral knee disability is not related to his military service and denied his claim.