Knee decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for various conditions was received on December 20, 2007. The appellant seeks accrued benefits based on this claim, but the Veteran died before the next month and thus there is no potential for an award.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for treatment provided at Grays Harbor Hospital beginning on March 27, 2009 are granted due to the emergent nature of his condition and the unfeasibility of using VA facilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right or left knee disorder related to his active military service.,Service connection for the Veteran's right and left knee disorders is denied.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for service connection and increased ratings in the specified cases, thus dismissing these matters.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee lateral instability does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent, and his lumbosacral strain disability does not warrant a rating higher than 10 percent.

The Board denied claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as right ankle and right knee disorders. The Veteran's applications to reopen these claims were not successful.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's left knee disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right hip disability and bilateral knee disability due to lack of evidence supporting these conditions.

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

The Veteran does not have arthritis that is attributable to military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining SSA records and providing an addendum to the VA examination reports.

The Veteran's service-connected left knee disorders, including a torn medial meniscus and degenerative joint disease, are not related to his right knee disorder. The Veteran is granted an initial evaluation of 10 percent for the service-connected torn medial meniscus of the left knee.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee disorder is not related to his period of service, including any inservice injury. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current condition was incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claims of entitlement to effective dates prior to November 17, 2004 for service connection were denied as the records submitted by him in conjunction with his current claim did not support earlier effective dates.

The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for her service-connected right knee chondromalacia of the patella is being remanded due to inadequate examination and treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and providing a VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

The Board is remanding the case to provide proper VCAA notice and to allow for further development before re-adjudicating the claim.

The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, left knee disorder, and right wrist disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of his service connection claims.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus have been withdrawn. The remaining claims of service connection for disorders of the lumbar spine, knees, feet (claimed as joint pain), and chronic fatigue syndrome are dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his left knee DJD is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional treatment records.