Knee decisions — 2009

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current left knee disorder due to disease or injury incurred in service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD and left knee disability have been granted increased ratings, with the PTSD rated at 50% and the left knee disability rated at 10%. The evidence does not show that these conditions are so exceptional or unusual as to require referral for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a bilateral knee disability has been reopened. However, his claims for increased ratings for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss remain denied.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence did not support a higher rating or an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his knee and toe disabilities were denied. The initial disability rating for the left knee was not granted, while a combined rating of 20 percent or more was not met from July 11, 2007 onwards. The right knee received an initial non-compensable rating, and the Veteran's fractures did not meet criteria for a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities were denied by the RO, with a final rating of 10 percent each for right and left internal derangement with patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current status of his right and left knee disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed back, knee, and psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such severity as to preclude him from securing and following some form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and work experience, warranting a total rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran is in need of regular aid and attendance or bedridden due solely to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee disability is not related to his period of honorable military service, and therefore denied service connection for degenerative joint disease, right knee. The issue of service connection for bilateral orchiopexy (claimed as scrotum condition) is being remanded for further action.

The Veteran's current left knee arthritis is not considered to have been caused or aggravated by his active service, and the Board has determined that he does not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, so there are no specific findings or ratings to report.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development due to the need for a compensation and pension examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's current knee disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities are currently rated at 10 percent each, based on functional impairment due to pain. The evidence does not support higher ratings as the limitation of motion is not severe enough to warrant a rating greater than 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and analysis regarding his right knee disability, including whether it is secondary to a service-connected left knee disability.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a chronic left knee disorder in service and there is no current evidence of such a condition. Therefore, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bleeding in the stomach, a subdural hematoma, wrist, ankle, neck, elbow, and knee disorders, fatigue, and headaches have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran's abdominal surgeries performed at VA resulted in incisional hernias, which are considered additional disability. Service connection is granted for these incisional hernias under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151. The Board finds no evidence to support service connection for right hip, left hip, or bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a left knee disability. The Veteran's in-service injury is presumed, as there are no records indicating any pre-existing condition or other issues affecting his current diagnosis.