Knee decisions — 2007

The Board found that the veteran's knee disorders did not manifest during service or within the presumptive period, and there was no evidence of a chronic condition in service. The VA examiner concluded that any current left knee disorder likely pre-existed service but was aggravated by his firefighting job. The right knee disorder is attributed to his firefighting career.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee and ankle disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that could be linked to his current conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient examination and lack of proper nexus opinion regarding service connection for back and knee disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disability is related to his active service, and thus service connection is granted. The compensable rating for lymphadenopathy of the left inguinal hernia area remains unresolved.

The Board denied initial compensable ratings for patellofemoral pain syndrome of the right and left knees, as well as service connection for intermittent lateral epicondylitis of the left elbow and lateral epicondylitis of the right elbow. The veteran's claims were reopened on new evidence but denied.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for various spine and joint disabilities were denied by the Board. The conditions are service-connected, but no presumption or secondary theory of connection was established.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed left and right knee strains are not related to service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current left knee disability and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a neck, right shoulder, right arm, right knee, or right hip disability that is related to service. The VA examiner found no evidence of arthritis in the relevant joints during and after service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to address the etiology of the veteran's left knee disability.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him in need of regular aid and attendance or housebound due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and requests for in-patient clinical hospital records from Fort Polk.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and reviewing the claims file.

The veteran's left knee disorder is being remanded for further evaluation and determination of its relationship to service.

The veteran's combined rating is 50%, which does not meet the requirements for a permanent and total disability rating on an extraschedular basis due to his age, education, and occupational background. The Board finds that he is not unemployable by reason of his disabilities.

The Board found no evidence of a current left knee or right eye disability and concluded that any potential service connection for these conditions was not established. The veteran's single contusion in service did not result in residual disability, and there is no medical evidence linking his current disabilities to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied. The issue of residuals of right knee injury will be addressed in a separate remand.

The Board denied increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the left knee, a right ankle disorder, and status post total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for the right knee.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for his left knee disability and service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence of current disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed psychiatric disorder, left knee injury, gastrointestinal problems, hemorrhoids, back injury and bilateral hearing loss are not related to service. The claim for service connection for residuals of a broken jaw is dismissed.