Knee decisions — 2010

The Board denied entitlement to service connection for left knee and low back disabilities, finding that the current diagnoses were not related to active duty service or service-connected right knee disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and considering extraschedular considerations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development and readjudication of the issues concerning service connection for a low back disorder, increased ratings for GERD and right knee arthritis.

The Board denied service connection for Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the right and left knees, as well as a back disability. The Veteran appealed this decision to the Court, which remanded the case for further adjudication.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee and right ankle disorders are linked to his active service, including parachute jumps during jump school.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to determine his employability based on his service-connected disabilities, as well as consideration of other relevant factors such as his educational background and past employment history.

The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities have not met the criteria for a higher evaluation prior to June 3, 2009, and after that date, his left and right knees are each rated at 20 percent.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for osteoarthritis of the right and left knees were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA examination and vocational rehabilitation records.

The Board found no evidence of a bilateral knee condition during service and denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new examination of her left groin strain disability, as well as the possibility that she may have additional issues related to her hip and knee injuries.

The Veteran's initial compensable ratings for his right knee disability, left knee scarring, and left foot disability have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under applicable diagnostic codes due to lack of functional loss or instability in these joints.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, respiratory condition, right knee condition, and skin rash were denied. The claim for heart disease was granted with a rating of unspecified.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome is not related to her military service or a service-connected disorder, and thus denied her claim for service connection. The criteria for specially adapted housing were also not met due to the absence of loss or loss of use of both upper extremities as to preclude locomotion.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for arthritis of the right and left knees, as well as service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, are granted. The conditions are found to be secondary to his service-connected low back disability.

The Board found that the Veteran did not timely file a substantive appeal regarding his disagreement with the initial evaluations assigned for service-connected depression, bilateral hearing loss, right knee disorder, and degenerative arthritis of the low back. As such, the appeal was dismissed.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as his service-connected disabilities combine to make him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for a separate rating for arthritis with painful motion of the left knee was granted, and he is currently rated at 10 percent for recurrent subluxation or lateral instability. The Board found that his disability picture more nearly approximates slight lateral instability or recurrent subluxation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of the record, including obtaining medical records from correctional facilities and scheduling a VA examination to evaluate his skin disability.

The Veteran's spine and knee disabilities were evaluated, but the claims for higher ratings were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under the applicable VA rating schedule.