Knee decisions — 2010

The Veteran's appeal was denied for his claims of service connection for various conditions, including bilateral eye disability, left ankle and foot disabilities, asbestosis, right hip osteoarthritis with labral tears, left knee disability, and left hip tear. The RO found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for an eye disability.

The Veteran's right knee disability was found to meet the criteria for a 30 percent rating prior to October 11, 2005.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, claimed as retropatellar pain syndrome and status post anterior and posterior cruciate ligament surgery, is denied because there is no confirmation of current left knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine disorder and lumbosacral spine disorder, finding that the Veteran is entitled to the presumption of soundness due to her second period of active duty service. The left knee disorder and sciatic nerve disorder are not yet addressed as they require further examination and medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to the appellant's failure to appear at a scheduled hearing.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a new opinion on whether any current knee disorder is at least as likely as not related to service.

The Veteran's right knee, thigh injury, heel disability, and tinea pedis have been granted service connection. The initial ratings for these conditions are all set at 10%.

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 10 percent, and his left knee condition does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The current ratings are deemed appropriate based on the range of motion findings.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative joint disease of the left and right knees, esophageal stricture, and hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease were granted. The Veteran was assigned a 10 percent rating each for his knees and a 30 percent rating for his esophageal stricture and a 10 percent rating for his hiatal hernia.

The Board has granted a separate 10 percent rating for instability of the left knee, effective from September 5, 2006. The Veteran's current 10 percent rating for limitation of flexion remains unchanged.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected left knee disability is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional medical records.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, finding that the evidence did not support a finding of service origin or association with service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (migraine headaches, major depression with fatigue, degenerative changes to the knees, tinnitus, Hepatitis C, and a plantar wart on the right foot) have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted his claim for TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his left foot drop and right knee arthroplasty, contributed to his death from renal failure. The decision is in favor of granting service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current knee and ankle disabilities are not related to his service, and thus denied all claims for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder myofascial pain syndrome, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis is related to her active duty service. The issue of a right knee strain was withdrawn by the Veteran during the appeal process.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for post-operative residuals of left knee chondromalacia was denied. The RO continued the current 20 percent evaluation, effective from February 14, 2009.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left elbow and right knee disorders due to incomplete records, including those from SSA, private providers, and VA clinics. The Veteran will be asked to clarify his relationship between any current disabilities of the elbows or knees and his service-connected low back disorder or non-service-connected vascular insufficiency.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since February 17, 2006. Since that date, the disability has resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as suicidal ideation, near-continuous panic or depression affecting ability to function independently, appropriate and effectively, deficiencies in most areas including work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, and mood.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete service records and the need for VA examinations.