Knee decisions — 2007

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current disability of the back and denied his claim for service connection. The left knee issue is pending as it requires further examination.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The RO granted the veteran a 10% rating for right ear hearing loss, effective from February 1970.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee disorder and right elbow injury do not meet the criteria for an initial compensable evaluation under the applicable rating schedule.

The veteran's claims for higher initial disability ratings for his service-connected knee and spine disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a current hearing loss disability, and the veteran's knee and spine conditions are rated based on limitation of motion.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence received after the issuance of a supplemental statement of the case, and the veteran did not waive AOJ review.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a VA examination to determine the etiology of any current right foot and arthritis conditions. The veteran's appeal will be reconsidered based on this additional evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current bilateral feet or wrists disability related to his military service, and there is no evidence of a left knee disability related to his military service. As such, the claims for service connection are denied.

The veteran's claims for specially adapted housing and special home adaption grants were denied as he does not meet the legal criteria due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the veteran's left knee and low back disorders are not service-connected, as there is no evidence of a chronic disability or injury during active duty. The residuals of an inguinal hernia were also not shown to be related to service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for right shoulder strain, DJD of the knees, and hearing loss have been granted. The claim to reopen his left shoulder strain was denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral knee and hip disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during service, may not be presumed to have been incurred in service, and are not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including knee disability, foot disability, headaches, constipation, and psychiatric disorder, all secondary to his service-connected intervertebral disc syndrome status post discectomy.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy and has also determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claim of entitlement to a left knee disorder.

The Board has reopened the appellant's service connection claim for the cause of the veteran's death due to new and material evidence submitted since the December 2000 decision. However, the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any service-connected disability caused or contributed substantially or materially to the cause of the veteran's death.

The veteran's initial rating for coronary artery disease was granted at 30% effective April 4, 2005. The claim of service connection for sleep apnea secondary to post-traumatic stress disorder is pending and will be remanded. The left knee degenerative joint disease has been rated as 10%. The veteran's higher rating claims for coronary artery disease are denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA clinical records and Vocational Rehabilitation records, including MRI examination reports. The case will be reviewed again after these records are obtained.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of degenerative joint disease of the knees or a chronic respiratory disorder, including reactive airway disease. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The VA denied the veteran's requests for higher ratings for his right and left knee Osgood-Schlatter's Disease, currently rated at 10% and 20%, respectively. The evidence did not support a higher rating based on current flexion limitations or other functional impairments.

The case is being remanded for the RO to review additional evidence submitted by the veteran and determine if his claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected left knee disability should be granted.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied across multiple conditions, including back disability, headaches, bilateral hearing loss, left shoulder disability, and various knee disabilities. The evaluations for the knees and ankle disabilities were also denied.