Knee decisions — 2007

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information and a need for further examination.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than June 27, 2001 for the grant of service connection and a 10 percent rating for his left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the evidence submitted after September 1998 is not new and material, thus denying the veteran's requests to reopen his claims of entitlement to service connection for right knee and lumbar spine disabilities.

The RO remanded the case due to new evidence submitted by the veteran and a need for additional examination.

The Board found that the veteran's avascular necrosis of the left hip, gouty arthritis and lateral meniscal tear status post partial lateral meniscectomy of the left knee, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and umbilical hernia are not service-connected. The claims were denied as secondary to his service-connected left varicocele ligation.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for post-operative residuals, right lateral meniscectomy and also denied his request to reopen a previously denied claim for service connection for an eye disorder.

The veteran seeks service connection for a left knee disorder, arguing that his condition was aggravated by military service. The RO denied the claim on the basis that there is no evidence of worsening during service. The Board finds this issue requires further development.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his proximal occlusion of the left popliteal artery and below the left leg amputation, as well as a rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right knee area. The veteran's bilateral osteoarthritis of the knees claim was withdrawn by the appellant.

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for a blood clotting disorder or right knee disability as there is no evidence of current disabilities stemming from the conditions in question.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings for osteomyelitis of the right knee and service connection for cardiovascular disease as secondary to his service-connected osteomyelitis. The appellant was not granted any new or additional benefits.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to verify the veteran's service periods and obtain relevant medical records. The claims for service connection will be remanded pending this development.

The veteran's service-connected patellofemoral pain syndrome of the left knee is granted, but rated as non-compensable. The claims for service connection for dizziness and frequent urination are also granted, with the latter being presumed due to an undiagnosed illness during military service.

The veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need of aid and attendance of another was granted. The appeal regarding CUE with respect to a June 13, 2002 rating decision that denied entitlement to special monthly compensation is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current right knee disability is not related to his service or any incident therein, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran seeks service connection for a left knee disorder that is secondary to his service-connected pes planus. The RO denied the claim based on a finding that there was no established left knee disorder related to service-connected pes planus. The Board finds remand necessary due to conflicting medical evidence and requests a VA examination.

The Board finds that the veteran's bilateral below-the-knee amputations were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, as there is no evidence to support a link between his peripheral vascular disease and his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA examination to determine if the veteran has a left knee condition and its etiology.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further evaluation of his right knee disability, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for additional compensation for two children, finding that VA received notice of their birth on February 4, 2005. The veteran argued he had previously notified VA of the births but was unsuccessful in getting his claims files transferred to the Phoenix RO.