Knee decisions — 2008

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left knee disorder is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral knee and low back disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor are they proximately due to a service-connected disability. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Board has denied service connection for left wrist and left knee disabilities due to the absence of medical evidence of current disability. The veteran's right knee, right ankle, low back pain, scar (left lower eyelid), laceration of index finger with residual well-healed scar, and bilateral foot strain with plantar fasciitis are currently rated as 20% for each condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for chronic right knee and low back disorders, as well as his claim for an acquired psychiatric disability. The evidence submitted since the April 1996 decision was found to be insufficient to reopen any of these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of arthritis of the knees or shoulder, and therefore service connection is denied for these conditions.

The Board found no evidence of a right knee injury during service and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical spine degenerative arthritis, thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis, chondromalacia of the right knee, and chondromalacia of the left knee were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable rating schedule.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for a right knee disorder, but the claim remains denied as there is no competent medical opinion associating the veteran's current right knee condition with military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current right knee sprain, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are not related to his military service. The claim for residuals of a right knee injury is denied as there is no evidence linking it to an in-service injury. The claim for hypertension is also denied because there is no evidence showing it was incurred during service or within one year after discharge. The claim for coronary artery disease secondary to hypertension is not supported by the available medical records.

The Board has found that there is no current diagnosis of a left knee disorder and thus, service connection for the condition cannot be granted.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a chronic left knee disorder in service and no current disability. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a left knee disorder is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral foot disorder and bilateral knee disorder, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability related to his military service. The Board also found that he did not meet the criteria for secondary service connection for his knee disorder.

The veteran's claim of service connection for insomnia, as a manifestation of his service-connected adjustment disorder, has been dismissed due to the overlap between the two conditions and the established compensation.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of her knees, and thus service connection for bilateral knee disorders is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current left knee disability, including degenerative joint disease, was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service and is therefore denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for increased ratings for his left knee disability, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent for the period from August 2, 1999 to November 26, 2000; in excess of 20 percent for the period from November 27, 2000 to June 19, 2002; or in excess of 30 percent for the periods from August 1, 2003 to January 31, 2006 and from April 1, 2007.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability, but denied service connection for bilateral shoulder disabilities. The veteran's right knee condition is rated at the maximum available rating of 100%.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left knee and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the current manifestations of these conditions.

The Board found that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and denied the claim.

The Board found that the veteran's hip and knee disabilities were not caused by or related to his service-connected right foot disability, nor were they directly linked to his military service.