Knee decisions — 2010

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a left knee disability were denied. The Board found no current evidence of these conditions, thus denying the claims.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right knee DJD was denied as the evidence did not show that he had limitation of flexion or extension to a degree warranting a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of the bilateral knees and hips was denied as there is no evidence showing a chronic disability related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection are denied.,An effective date of April 14, 2005 is granted for the grant of service connection for instability of the right knee. The previous effective date of December 11, 2000 remains unchanged for osteoarthritis of the right knee with limitation of flexion and extension.,The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection are denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a C&P examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected disabilities and whether he has arthritis in his shoulders and knees.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant.

The Board found no evidence of degenerative joint disease of the right knee in service or within one year after separation, and concluded that it was not incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral elbow, hip, and knee disabilities were denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or a link to service.

The Veteran's right knee disability was not found to meet the criteria for a higher evaluation prior to March 18, 2008, and from October 1, 2009. The Board denied his claim as there is no evidence of severe painful motion or weakness.

The Board has restored the Veteran's right and left knee instability evaluations to 10 percent effective from September 29, 2004.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee disorders, lumbar sprain, recurrent kidney stones, and headaches. The Veteran was granted an initial compensable rating of 10 percent for headaches effective June 26, 2009.

The VA determined that the Veteran's knee conditions do not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, based on current medical evidence showing no limitation of motion or instability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including VA examinations to determine the relationship between his current acquired psychiatric disorder and left knee disability with service.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal for an initial rating beyond 10 percent for degenerative joint disease of the left knee. The issues of service connection for a left foot disorder, secondary service connection for a left elbow disorder, and secondary service connection for a left wrist disorder are all denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to military service, and his right and left knee disorders are not related to military service.

The Veteran's right knee disability, characterized by arthritis and a dislocated semilunar cartilage, has been rated at 10 percent since September 1, 2008. The Board found that the Veteran is not entitled to an increased rating for his right knee disability due to pain on use or other functional loss. However, he was granted a separate 10 percent rating for instability of the right knee.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The appellant's appeal was dismissed as he did not file a timely substantive appeal to the June 16, 2004 rating decision.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his service-connected low back condition, bilateral knee conditions, and ankle disabilities have been denied. The VA examiners found that the Veteran's range of motion did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.