Knee decisions — 2007

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for her left wrist fracture and did not reopen her previously denied service connection claims for left knee and cervical spine disabilities.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates were denied. The RO granted service connection for residuals of trauma to the right knee, left knee, and lumbar spine with an effective date of December 13, 1998.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for narcolepsy is granted, as he averages more than two narcoleptic episodes per day. The left knee disability claim is denied as the range of motion does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including determining if the veteran had periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA) or in-active duty training (INACDUTRA), and whether any current back, left ankle, or knee disabilities are related to such service.

The Board found no evidence of in-service injury or disease that could be linked to the veteran's current disabilities, and thus denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, low back disability, and right knee disability.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to evaluate the current severity of his service-connected right and left knee disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for arthritis of the right hand, thoracic spine, and left knee. The RO granted a 30 percent rating for service-connected vertigo and dizziness in May 2005, which resolved his appeal on that issue.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for left knee degenerative joint disease and bilateral hearing loss have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher evaluation based on the current criteria.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to her current condition and that any current knee disabilities are not proximately due to or aggravated by her service-connected left hip tendonitis.

The Board finds that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for either a low back disorder or a left knee disorder, as there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut the presumption of soundness at entry into service.

The RO has remanded the case for further examination to address symptoms related to varicose veins of the right leg, which were not adequately assessed in a previous VA examination.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a claimed bilateral knee condition and remanded it for further development, including scheduling a VA examination.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating higher than 10 percent for his service-connected arthritis of the right knee, which is secondary to a total left knee replacement disability, has been remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disorder, skin disorder, and allergies are presumed to have developed during service due to exposure to environmental factors or other causes not related to his military service.

The VA determined that the veteran's left and right knee strains do not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent, as their range of motion is within normal limits.

The veteran's right ankle sprain, left ankle sprain, and left knee sprain have been granted service connection with initial 10 percent ratings effective June 20, 2004.,Service connection for adductor tendonitis of the left hip and allergic rhinitis and sinusitis has also been granted but without any compensable rating assigned.,The veteran's left knee sprain remains unassigned a compensable rating.

The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for postoperative residuals of left knee replacement. The veteran's symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his right knee conditions, finding that the current ratings adequately reflect the severity of his symptoms.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder due to new evidence. The claims of entitlement to service connection for right knee and right ankle pain have been denied as there is no evidence that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current right knee, left knee or low back disorder and denied service connection for these conditions.