Knee decisions — 2008

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

The veteran's disability compensation benefits were reduced to a 10% evaluation due to incarceration, effective February 13, 2001. The reduction was upheld as proper.

The veteran's right knee instability is currently rated at 20 percent, the maximum schedular rating for severe recurrent subluxation or lateral instability. The arthritis of the right knee has been separately rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA medical examination and consideration of additional service medical records.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for glaucoma, bilateral foot disability, and bilateral ankle disability. The claim for initial compensable evaluations for hypertension and osteoarthritis of the left knee is pending.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current chronic knee disability associated with his active military duty and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling an orthopedic examination and obtaining relevant medical records.

The Board denied service connection for arthritis of the legs and hands, finding no evidence linking these conditions to service.,The veteran's claim for a low back disorder was previously denied in February 2003. The new evidence submitted did not provide sufficient material to reopen this claim.

The Board has granted an initial evaluation of 10 percent for retropatellar pain syndrome of the right knee and a compensable (10 percent) evaluation for hemorrhoids. The veteran's level of disability is not considered to warrant higher ratings under applicable criteria.

The veteran's right and left knee disabilities are each rated at 10 percent, while his gastrointestinal condition is also rated at 10 percent. All three conditions have been granted service connection based on direct evidence.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the veteran's right knee, lower back, and cervical spine disabilities. The claims are being remanded for further examination and consideration.

The veteran's claim for service connection for traumatic arthritis of the knees has been reopened. However, his request for an increased rating for residuals of a right thigh laceration involving muscle groups XIV and XV was denied, as were his requests for earlier effective dates for his 10 percent rating for chronic left ankle strain.

The Board has remanded the case to allow for further development, including an examination of the veteran's right knee condition and a determination on whether it is likely related to his in-service motorcycle accident.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle sprain, left ankle disorder, and bilateral knee patellofemoral syndrome as there is no evidence of such conditions during or immediately following service, and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any current disabilities are related to military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if the veteran's current right knee arthritis was incurred during periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA).

The Board found that the veteran's Type II diabetes mellitus, left knee arthritis, and right eye glaucoma are not related to his service. The claims for these conditions were denied.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's right knee meniscectomy and did not grant service connection for brain damage.

The Board finds that the veteran's right knee and low back disabilities were not incurred during active service, nor are they secondary to his service-connected left knee, left ankle, or left foot disabilities.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected conditions have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.