Knee decisions — 2010

The Veteran's current right knee arthritis is found to be proximately due to his service-connected left knee disorder, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination to clarify the nature and etiology of any back disorders and to assess the current severity of the Veteran's left knee disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disability, gastrointestinal disorder (GERD), sinusitis, and bronchitis. The evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities or a nexus to service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received, allowing the Veteran's application to reopen his claim of service connection for a right knee condition. The claim is reopened and remanded for further development.

The Veteran does not have a current knee disability that is service-connected. The Board finds no evidence of arthritis of the knees within one year post-service, and there is insufficient medical opinion to establish a direct service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and VA treatment records. The Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection are related to his active duty service or incidents therein.

The Board found that the Veteran's request for a change in his IEEP or development of an IWRP with a specific vocational goal in hospitality management was not currently reasonably feasible given his circumstances and he did not fully participate in the program provided.

The Veteran's case is being remanded for scheduling a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The issues are about service connection for left and right knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional VA examination and development of evidence.

The Board found that there is no medical evidence relating the Veteran's current bilateral knee disability, lower back disability, and Achilles tendonitis to active military service. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of a fracture of the left medial femoral chondyle with traumatic arthritis and left knee mild laxity are both rated at 10 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, warranting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's right knee disability. The Veteran is also entitled to separate ratings under Diagnostic Codes 5257 (for recurrent subluxation or lateral instability) and/or 5259 (for removal of cartilage).

The VA denied the claims for increased ratings for right and left knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on current functional impairment.

The Board found that there is no evidence to support service connection for any of the claimed conditions, including bronchitis, sinusitis, intervertebral disc syndrome, migraine headaches, arthritis of the elbows and knees. The claim was denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for radiculopathy nerve dysfunction of the left leg/left hip was denied as there is no current diagnosis and it is not related to his service-connected lumbar spine disability. The claim for an increased rating for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral knee arthritis is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his left knee disability and service connection for diabetes mellitus were both denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5010, as his left knee disability was manifested by noncompensable limitation of motion, pain, locking, instability, and effusion without ankylosis or removal of semilunar cartilage.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected low back and bilateral knee disabilities were denied by the Board. The evidence did not show flexion of the lumbar spine to 30 degrees or less, favorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine, or incapacitating episodes due to the service-connected low back disability. Range of motion for both knees was no worse than from 0 to 95 degrees.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee, ankle, and hip disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and consideration of recent submitted evidence.