Knee decisions — 2007

The Board found that the veteran's current disabilities were not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claims for service connection.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities are not shown to be of such severity as to preclude substantially gainful employment, and the Board finds that he is not unemployable due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for low back, left knee, and right knee disorders due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.,There is no clear evidence that the veteran's current low back, left knee, or right knee conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a current left knee disability due to disease or injury attributable to service, and therefore denied her claim for service connection.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been presented to reopen the claims for service connection of a back disability and left knee disability. However, it was noted that new evidence related to hypertension, skin disorder, hemorrhoids, eye disability, and dental injury affecting teeth 7 and 8 has been submitted.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral knee condition, but denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis. The claim for a respiratory disorder (bronchitis) is remanded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back condition is service-connected as it was incurred in service. The right medial collateral ligament sprain and left knee injury are not service-connected.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various knee and foot conditions, as well as bilateral flat feet. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The veteran's claims for specially adapted housing and a special home adaptation grant were denied as he does not meet the eligibility requirements under the law.

The Board has remanded the case due to additional evidence received after certification of the appeal, and before transfer to the Board. The veteran's reduction in evaluations for his service-connected knee disabilities is under review.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his left and right knee chondromalacia, finding that the evidence did not support ratings higher than the current 20 percent evaluations.

The veteran's combined disability rating is 90%, but the Board finds that his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to outstanding post-service private treatment records and the need for a more recent examination of his right knee condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral knee and left elbow disorders are not service-connected as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed cervical spine and left knee disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during service, and therefore denied both claims.

The Board has granted a combined 30 percent rating for left knee retropatellar pain syndrome prior to October 9, 2002 and from October 1, 2003 through February 10, 2007. The veteran's right knee retropatellar pain syndrome is rated as 10 percent disabling since February 11, 2007.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, effective August 1, 2003. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of a shrapnel wound to the left knee was granted. Service connection for arthritis of the right knee secondary to service-connected residuals of a shrapnel wound to the left knee is also granted.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the veteran's previously denied claims for service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and right knee disability. As such, these claims were not reopened.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before a decision can be made on the veteran's claim for service connection and secondary service connection for left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, degenerative disc disease of the cervical and lumbar spine, and right knee disability are not related to his period of active duty. As such, service connection for these conditions is denied.