Knee decisions — 2007

The Board dismissed the appeal because the veteran did not file a timely substantive appeal for the February 2001 rating decision which assigned a 40 percent rating to her recurrent right knee subluxation, postoperative, with loss of motion.

The Board has deferred the decision on both issues pending further development, including obtaining missing VA clinical records and scheduling a VA examination for the veteran.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, left knee tendinosis, and bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease that led to these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative changes of the neck, right shoulder, right knee and right hip. The appellant is currently rated at 30% for his PTSD disability.

The Board found no evidence of a right ankle disorder related to service and denied the veteran's claims for service connection. The veteran was also denied initial compensable evaluations for his tendonitis and strain of the right knee, as well as cold-induced urticaria.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disorder and an initial disability rating of 10 percent for PTSD prior to September 13, 2005. The veteran's left knee disorder is related to his active service.

The veteran's varicose veins of the right leg were incurred in service and are granted service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's diagnosed left knee disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran claims service connection for a bilateral knee disorder. The Board finds that the evidence is insufficient to decide the claim and requires a VA examination based on a review of the entire claims file.

The veteran is seeking service connection for left knee and ankle conditions that he claims are secondary to his service-connected residuals of a fracture to the left foot. The case is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.

The Board found that the veteran does not have service connection for any of the claimed conditions, including PTSD, elevated liver function tests, left knee pain, shortness of breath, insomnia, night sweats, and fatigue, or arthralgias. The evidence did not support a finding of chronicity in service or continuity of symptomatology thereafter.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the veteran's current diagnoses are related to service or her service-connected depression.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.,The veteran's service-connected disabilities are not shown to preclude him from performing substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and occupational background.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU have been remanded due to the need for additional development, including consideration of extraschedular considerations.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for additional development, including scheduling an examination to determine the current severity of his hearing loss and providing an opinion as to its etiology. The case will be readjudicated after this development.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities are currently rated as 10 percent disabling each, effective June 29, 2000. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating under Diagnostic Codes 5260 or 5261 for either knee.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for traumatic arthritis of the left knee, finding no evidence of current disability and noting that any existing strain in his left knee is already covered by a separate grant of service connection.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's right knee disability, finding that there was no evidence of instability or subluxation to warrant a higher rating. The claimant is currently rated at 10 percent for arthritis and limitation of motion.

The Board denied a higher rating for the veteran's left knee disability, finding that her current flexion and extension measurements do not warrant an increased evaluation. The examiner noted no instability or significant functional limitations.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete medical records and a need for additional examinations.