Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's left knee disability was not caused or aggravated by her service-connected right knee disorder.,The Board has remanded the issue of whether the Veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis aggravates her diagnosed asthma.

The Veteran's claim for right foot plantar warts is denied. The Board finds that the current record does not support a diagnosis of plantar warts as a current disability during the appeal period.

The Veteran's application to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for a heart disability was denied as new and material evidence was not received.,Service connection for a right lower extremity muscle disability was denied due to lack of diagnosed condition.,An increased rating in excess of 10 percent for hemorrhoids was denied as there is no evidence of persistent bleeding or anemia.,A compensable rating for the service-connected surgical scar, right knee, was denied as there are no disabling effects not considered under Diagnostic Codes 7800-04.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's lumbar and bilateral knee disorders. The claims are related back to service, but the VA examiners did not provide sufficient rationale in their opinions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities, as well as a heart condition and respiratory disability (claimed as asthma), are granted. The Board also remanded the issues of service connection for a heart condition and respiratory disability.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities have been rated at the maximum available rating of 10 percent each. The low back disability has also been rated at the maximum available rating of 20 percent. No higher ratings are warranted for any of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee condition is at least as likely as not related to his service, and thus grants service connection for a right knee condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and bilateral leg/knee pain. The evidence does not establish a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for multiple myeloma was denied as the condition is asymptomatic.,Claims for bilateral hearing loss, right knee degenerative arthritis, left knee patellofemoral syndrome, and cervical spine disorder based on CUE were also denied.

The Board has decided to remand two claims for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities due to a lack of adequate medical opinions and the need for further examination.

The Veteran's right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has found that a remand is required to correct an inadequate VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability is related to her in-service injury and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, or right knee condition.,For his left hip conditions, he was granted a 10 percent rating for limitation of extension and no other ratings were granted. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his generalized anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic pain syndrome and increased ratings for her right and left knee disabilities were denied. The Board found that there was no evidence of a current diagnosis of chronic pain syndrome related to service or any service-connected disability at any time during the pendency of the claim.

The Veteran's appeal regarding the reduction of his evaluation for a painful, unstable, and non-healing left forehead scar from 20% to 10% was dismissed as he requested withdrawal of this issue during the hearing. The appeals for restoration of ratings for his lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities were granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete medical records, specifically those from UC Davis Medical Group and Dr. Boyd, which are necessary to determine the history of the Veteran's right knee condition.

The Veteran's effective date for Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) at the housebound level is granted as of May 10, 2007. The decision was based on his service-connected disabilities totaling 60 percent disabling.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for neck, back, hip, knee, and acquired psychiatric disorders due to incomplete records. The Veteran's STRs do not reflect injuries sustained in November 1996 during a rappelling exercise.

The Veteran's lumbar spine, right shoulder, right knee, and left knee disorders are granted service connection.,Service connection is also granted for the Veteran's cervical spine strain. However, an initial rating in excess of 10 percent is denied.

The Veteran's appeal regarding the reduction in rating for right knee instability and his claim for service connection for left knee instability has been dismissed.