Knee decisions — 2009

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have been granted with appropriate disability ratings.

The Veteran's right knee disability, characterized by daily pain and limited motion, has not met the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his left knee disability. The claim will be reconsidered after this additional evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his right knee and left knee disabilities were denied as the evidence did not show that any of these conditions warranted a rating higher than 10 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee strains are currently rated at 10 percent each, but the VA adjudicator found that these ratings were not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling VA examinations to evaluate the severity of his right thigh disability and determine if his low back and right knee disorders are related to his service-connected right thigh disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a left knee disorder were denied. The Board is remanding the left knee claim to the RO, while deciding the claim for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's initial claim for service connection for postoperative chondromalacia of the right knee was granted, and he is now seeking higher ratings. The current rating of 20% has been maintained.

The Veteran's initial ratings for left knee disability, right foot neuroma with hammertoe deformities, and hallux valgus and hammertoe deformities of the left foot have been granted. However, he is not entitled to higher initial ratings for these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder and an increased rating for his left forearm disability were denied. The claim for secondary service connection for the shoulder disorder was not addressed as it is related to another issue.

The Board denied service connection for a back disorder, right and left knee disorders, urinary disorder, sinus disorder, bronchial disorder, psychiatric disorder, and bilateral pes planus. The Veteran's service records did not show any evidence of these conditions during or after his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the Veteran's claimed orthopedic disorders and determine if any current bilateral knee pain is related to service or an undiagnosed illness.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his shell fragment wounds of the right and left knees and legs were granted, with a rating of 30 percent for residuals of a shell fragment wound of the right knee. The effective date is not specified as it was determined that the appeal did not involve service connection issues.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the neck, knees and feet have been granted. The claim for service connection for arthritis of the ankles has been denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the right knee and RSD were denied. The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of arthritis, right knee, and thus cannot grant service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, right ankle disorder, right knee disorder, right hip disorder, and low back disorder (sciatica) have been denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, low back, and bilateral hip disabilities. The right knee disability claim was also denied. The acquired psychiatric disability (depression) claim is addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine the etiology of any current low back and bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for bipolar disorder and a left knee disability, finding no evidence of such conditions during or after service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling an examination.