Knee decisions — 2008

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, pes planus, knee and hip conditions, a head condition, and a heart condition. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions are related to military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected knee conditions and denied his secondary service connection claims for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and left hip strain.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral knee degenerative joint disease is not related to service and cannot be presumed to have been incurred therein. The claim for service connection for bilateral knee DJD is denied.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for chondromalacia of the left knee, finding that new and material evidence has been received. The claim will now be considered on its merits.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the veteran's current right knee condition is related to his in-service injury, and whether he has a left knee condition that is secondary to his right knee condition.

The Board has ordered the VA to obtain SSA records related to the veteran's knee injuries and review them for any new evidence that may support reopening her service connection claims.

The veteran's initial evaluations for degenerative joint disease of the left and right knees have been granted at 10 percent, effective February 7, 2006.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current right knee disability is not caused or aggravated by his service-connected right ankle disability.

The veteran's service-connected right knee disability warrants a combined rating of 20 percent (10 percent for subluxation under Code 5257 and 10 percent for arthritis with painful motion under Codes 5010-5003) effective August 19, 2003. Prior to that date, the disability warranted a 10 percent rating.

The veteran is seeking service connection for left knee, left ankle, and headaches/dizzy spells disabilities. The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to assess the current status of these conditions and their relationship to his military service.

The veteran's tinea pedis warrants an extraschedular disability rating of 50 percent, and his individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities warrants a total disability rating.

The veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and right knee disability were denied. The RO granted the veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, but did not grant any compensable ratings or staged evaluations for his right knee disability.

The Board has denied service connection for arthritis of the left knee due to a lack of evidence showing it was incurred during active service. Service connection for bladder cancer is granted.

The veteran's claims for service connection on a secondary basis were denied, while his skin disability claim was granted. The veteran received staged ratings for his degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and a grant for his tender scar related to gunshot wounds. His right and left sciatic neuritis claims were both denied.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The VA denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the left knee. The evidence did not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion or other criteria.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability and for compensable ratings for ovarian cysts, finding no current disabilities or evidence of continuous treatment required for a compensable rating.,For the period prior to July 22, 2005, there is insufficient evidence that the ovarian cyst required continuous treatment.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and review of post-service treatment records to determine if there was any permanent change in the veteran's knees that occurred during service.

The veteran's cervical spine disability is not rated higher than 30 percent, and his right and left knee disabilities are each rated at the maximum of 20 percent. The veteran was granted separate 10 percent evaluations for limitation of extension in both knees.

The veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to inadequate VCAA notice.