Knee decisions — 2007

The Board has granted a higher rating of 20 percent for the veteran's service-connected right knee anterior cruciate ligament insufficiency, which is currently rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and requests for additional evidence. The veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disorder is pending.

The Board has granted a 30 percent disability rating for the veteran's service-connected residuals of a gunshot wound to the left knee, resolving all reasonable doubt in his favor. The issue regarding an initial increased disability rating for limitation of left knee flexion was denied.

The Board granted increased ratings for the veteran's service-connected disabilities, including residuals of shell fragment wounds to his right foot and knee, as well as residuals of a shell fragment wound to his left thigh and knee. The effective date is not specified.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left ankle sprain in service was acute and transitory, and his current chronic left ankle disability is not causally related to service. His current chronic left knee disability also does not have a direct causal relationship with service or any incident therein.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations for his claimed conditions. Service connection was not granted for post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic right knee disorder, or irritable colon syndrome. A compensable evaluation was also denied for folliculitis of the scrotum.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shin splints, a right hand/wrist disability, bilateral hearing loss, and degenerative joint disease of the right knee. The evidence does not support these claims.

The veteran's right knee disability is currently rated at 20 percent for degenerative joint disease, but a separate 10 percent rating has been granted for instability of the anterior collateral ligament since July 21, 2006. The claim remains pending as to whether an even higher initial rating can be assigned.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various disorders, finding that there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disorder.,The veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral foot pain was denied in June 2002, but the evidence received since that decision is new and material, reopening his claim. The Board finds no evidence linking the current bilateral foot disorder to service.,Service connection has been granted for a chronic psychiatric disorder (schizophrenia).,The veteran's claims of service connection for headaches with vertigo, fainting, and blurred vision were not addressed in this decision.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the veteran's claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations.

The Board has determined that the June 1987 rating decision denying service connection for bilateral knee disability and pes planus is final. The claims have not been reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a deviated nasal septum and denied service connection for this condition. The other claims were also denied.

The veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the knees and feet were denied. His claim for an increased evaluation for bilateral pes planus and plantar fasciitis was granted with a 10% rating effective October 21, 2006. The claims for increased evaluations for patellofemoral pain syndrome of both knees remain denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary in the current appeal, including obtaining SSA records and arranging for appropriate VA medical examinations. The claims will be re-adjudicated based on all evidence of record.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly assess the veteran's right knee and low back disorders, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board denied initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for traumatic arthritis of the left knee and internal derangement with ligament laxity of the left knee.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected right knee chondromalacia and to distinguish its effects from any other disability.

The veteran's service-connected residuals of a left knee injury status post surgery are manifested by no more than slight subluxation or lateral instability, warranting only a 10% rating for recurrent subluxation or lateral instability. The veteran also has x-ray findings of arthritis and pain with limitation of flexion to approximately 130 degrees, warranting a separate 10% rating.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for arthritis of the right hip, left hip, right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left foot as there is no clinical evidence of such conditions.