Knee decisions — 2008

The Board found no current right knee disability related to service and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the veteran's right knee disorder is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination is needed to assess the current level of disability for any diagnosed bilateral knee, ankle, or leg disorders. Additionally, efforts should be made to obtain treatment records from Columbus Bone, Joint, and Hand surgeons, Inc., and Sedalia Medical Center.

The Board has found no competent medical evidence to support the veteran's claim of osteoarthritis of the hips, wrists, and right knee. The claims are therefore denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional records and a VA examination. The current rating of 40% remains unchanged, but there may be evidence that could change this.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee disability and sinusitis, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher evaluations under applicable rating criteria.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral shoulder condition, right knee condition, and left knee condition are not related to service. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeal for an increased rating of his left knee disability. The Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disorder and a disability rating for his left tarsal condition. The decision also noted that the veteran had arthritis of the knees, but did not find any direct evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for left knee disability, bilateral hip disability, low back disability, right ankle disability, and headaches, all to include as secondary to a right knee injury.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, scheduling new examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected depressive disorder and left knee disability, and considering the claims again after all relevant evidence has been considered.

The veteran's appeals for service connection for defective hearing and an increased evaluation for hiatal hernia have been withdrawn. The left knee disability has not met the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a right knee disability as secondary to service-connected right foot disability. The evidence is in relative balance, with the opinion from June 2002 suggesting that the veteran's right knee arthritis may be at least partially due to aggravation by his service-connected right foot disorder. However, there is no current diagnosis of left knee or left foot disabilities related to service-connected right foot disability.

The veteran's claims for an initial compensable evaluation for residuals of boxer's fracture, right (dominant) fifth (little finger), service connection for lumbosacral spine disc disease L3 to S1, and service connection for status post left partial medical meniscectomy were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a grant of any of these claims.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including chronic bronchitis, left ankle disorder, gastroenteritis, right heel disorder, pes planus, a disorder of the right index finger; headaches or a right knee disorder, were denied as there is no current diagnosis on file for any of these conditions.

The veteran is granted a 10 percent rating for right knee chondromalacia prior to November 15, 2006. The claim for higher initial evaluation and service connection are denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee and right wrist conditions are not service-connected.

The veteran's claim for initial compensable ratings for arthritis of the right and left knees is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional medical records.

The veteran's gouty arthritis affecting the knees is rated at 100 percent, and he has a thoracolumbar disability that is secondary to his gouty arthritis. The Board granted both issues.