Knee decisions — 2007

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining service medical records and contacting his National Guard units to determine the onset of his back and knee disorders.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left knee disability is not related to his active service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral pes planus and left knee injury are not related to service, but the residuals of a left knee injury have been granted as being directly related to service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for various lower extremity and hand disorders, finding that new and material evidence has been submitted. The back disorder is found to have been incurred in service.

The Board found that the veteran's left knee disability did not originate in service and is not related to any incident of service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a left knee disability was denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the failure to schedule a Board hearing at the RO. The issues of service connection for PTSD and a chronic disability of the left hip, knee, and ankle remain under review.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal.

The veteran's bilateral foot, right knee, and low back disabilities were evaluated by the VA. The claims for increased ratings were denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The VA determined that the veteran's right knee injury, including a posterior horn of the medial meniscus tear and healed medial collateral ligament injury, warrants a 10 percent evaluation. The appeal is denied as there is no evidence to support an increase in evaluation.

The Board has determined that there is no current right knee disability and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew her appeal.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected right and left knee disabilities are being remanded to the RO for additional development, including a new VA examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current right knee disability is due to an injury in active service and grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no current evidence of a sleep disorder, and the right knee disability was rated at 10 percent since January 1, 2002. The left varicocele and skin condition (tinea barbae of the scalp with scarring alopecia) have also been rated at 10 percent since January 1, 2002.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for limitation of extension and a 10 percent rating for limitation of flexion of the left knee, effective from the date of the initial evaluation in March 2002.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including thoracic muscle spasm, chronic and mechanical back pain; right shoulder condition with residuals of a fracture of the right clavicle; and bilateral foot condition. The issues were not reopened due to lack of evidence.

The Board granted the veteran's claim for service connection for scar tissue of the penis as secondary to his service-connected Reiter's syndrome. The claims for 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 benefits for headaches, neck pain, loss of balance, and bilateral knee pain were denied because they did not arise from VA care or treatment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if current diabetes mellitus is related to service and for evaluations of hypertension and Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the left knee.

The veteran's right ankle sprain and patellar pain syndrome, right knee, have been granted service connection but do not warrant initial compensable evaluations.