Knee decisions — 2012

The Board has granted service connection for chondromalacia of the knees, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his in-service diagnosis and treatment.,Service connection was denied for neck disability and bilateral shoulder disabilities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine strain and awarded an initial compensable rating of 10% for right knee retropatellar pain syndrome beginning April 6, 2006.,Prior to April 6, 2006, the Veteran's right knee retropatellar pain syndrome was rated as noncompensable.

The Veteran has a qualifying chronic disability manifested by arthralgia in the low back, knees, shoulders, and elbows that is related to his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disorder and a right elbow disorder have been granted. The conditions are found to be related to her active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development and readjudication of his service connection claims, including consideration of recent VA treatment records and private medical evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities have been evaluated at 10 percent each, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on current symptomatology.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including post-traumatic headaches and knee conditions, do not solely preclude him from maintaining substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his left knee and right ankle disabilities were denied by the Board. The initial rating for osteoarthritis of the left knee was found to be 10 percent, with no higher rating warranted. For patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, a separate 10 percent rating was granted. Regarding the fracture of the right ankle with osteoarthritis, a combined 20 percent rating was assigned. The Veteran's claims for temporary total disability ratings due to surgery on his knees were also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA outpatient treatment records and scheduling examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to a May 2012 letter indicating he no longer wishes to pursue his claims.

The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of a bilateral knee disorder and the Veteran does not have a current psychiatric disability. The claim for service connection for a low back disorder will be denied as well.

The Veteran's left knee patellofemoral syndrome is currently rated at 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 5260, which pertains to limitation of flexion. The VA examination and treatment records indicate that the Veteran has full range of motion with no additional limitations due to pain or other factors. Therefore, an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent is not warranted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities result in the need for regular aid and attendance, which has been granted SMC based on this need.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including a VA examination and consideration of whether staged rating is warranted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection, increased evaluation, nonservice-connected pension benefits, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his VA treatment records and SSA records.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for left ankle and left knee disabilities, finding that the current conditions are related to service. The rating assigned is 100%.

The Veteran's right knee instability has been evaluated at the maximum schedular rating of 30 percent. The Board found that the current evaluation adequately compensates for his disability.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for his right shoulder, left knee, and right knee disabilities have been withdrawn.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, low back, and bilateral ankle disabilities as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability due to lack of evidence showing onset during or as a result of service.