Knee decisions — 2009

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sinus disability, right shoulder disability, hearing loss, left knee disability, headaches with dizziness, disability manifested by insomnia, disability manifested by fatigue, disability manifested by decreased appetite, disability manifested by loss of sex drive, and disability manifested by stiff joints of the lower extremities were denied.

The Board denied service connection for a left shoulder disability as it was not shown to be caused or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability. The Board also denied an increased rating for the left knee, finding that the current 30 percent rating adequately represented the severity of the disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic bronchitis, epididymitis, chronic disability manifested by allergies, bilateral knee disability, and a back disability as there was no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, hearing loss, tinnitus, arthritis of the bilateral hips and knees, neuropathy of the right and left hand, sleep apnea, and PTSD were withdrawn by the appellant prior to promulgation of a decision.

The Board denied higher initial ratings for bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy and denied service connection for left knee, right knee, left foot, and right foot arthritis.

The Veteran is entitled to separate initial ratings of 10 percent for the residuals of a second toe phalangectomy with k-wire fixation of both feet, but his claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder was not decided in this decision.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral wrist condition with carpal tunnel syndrome, right inguinal hernia, left knee arthralgia, left-sided numbness, and major depressive disorder as there was no evidence of these conditions during or after service. The claim to reopen the post-traumatic stress disorder claim was granted.

The appeal was denied because the evidence submitted did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for an earlier effective date.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for osteoarthritis of both knees and laxity, right knee, as the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the current severity of these conditions.

The Veteran's residuals of left knee injury are rated at 10 percent based on limitation of extension to -10 degrees.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, and bilateral pes planus as there was no evidence of these conditions in service or within one year of discharge, and no medical evidence linking them to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, fibromyalgia, IBS, cholecystectomy, migraines, right knee injury, tinnitus, and other conditions, prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to January 10, 2005.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, and also denied initial compensable evaluations for right calf scar and left knee scar.

The appeal for a higher rating for the right second toe deformity was denied as the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disorder as there was no evidence of a chronic disability in service or within one year after discharge, and no competent evidence linking the current condition to an incident during service.

The Veteran's service-connected post-operative left knee injury residuals and instability were denied an evaluation in excess of 10 percent disabling.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for chondromalacia, right patella, and Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the right knee, and Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the left knee.

The Board denied service connection for left knee disability as there was no competent medical evidence of a current disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left total knee replacements, finding that there was no evidence to support a direct or secondary relationship between his knee conditions and his military service.