Knee decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of the knees, and there is no evidence linking any diagnosed disabilities to service. Therefore, service connection for residuals of a left knee injury and bilateral arthritis of the knees is denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a right ankle disorder or left knee disorder that is attributable to his military service. The evidence shows no treatment for these conditions during service and no diagnosis until many years after separation.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current right knee disability to his military service and denied his claim. The left knee residuals claim was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed disabilities, including headaches, bilateral knee disability, low back disability, and hernia, did not manifest during service or within one year of discharge. The evidence does not establish a link between these conditions and service. As such, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has denied service connection for the veteran's claimed back disorder, right eye disorder, and right and left knee disorders due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of various joints and a compensable evaluation for rheumatic heart disease, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active duty or any service-connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine, sleep problems, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder. The appeals were based on secondary service connection to residuals of a fracture of the right ankle.

The Board denied service connection for eye disorder, right knee disability, and low back disorder due to lack of current diagnoses or evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased evaluation for his service-connected left ankle fracture and did not find new and material evidence to reopen his claims of entitlement to service connection for low back, right knee, and bilateral hip disorders secondary to a service-connected left ankle fracture.

The Board has granted a separate 10 percent rating for subluxation of the service-connected right knee anterior cruciate repair with DJD, and denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for limitation of motion.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling an orthopedic examination.

The Board found no evidence that the veteran's current bilateral knee disability was caused by VA care, treatment, or examination. The claim is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative joint disease of either knee, degenerative disc disease of the cervical or lumbar spine, or osteoporosis that began in service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU). The RO increased his ratings for his right and left knee disabilities, but did not address whether he was unemployable due to these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's right knee disability does not meet or approximate the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The veteran's residuals of a left knee injury and left knee laxity have been rated at 20 percent since May 1, 2006. The condition is currently stable with no significant functional impairment.

The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against finding that cervical spine, left knee, or left shoulder disorders were present in-service.,Arthritis may not be presumed to have been incurred due to lack of evidence showing arthritis manifested within one year after separation from active duty.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, low back pain, hypertension as secondary to PTSD, and coronary artery disease as secondary to PTSD.,There is no evidence linking any of these conditions to military service.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, bilateral knee disability, and arthritis. The veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder was granted service connection with an initial evaluation of 50 percent.,There is no current evidence of a low back disability, bilateral knee disability, or arthritis in the claims file.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his medical records and to determine the nature, extent, and etiology of any identified disabilities.