Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's initial claim for a left knee disability was granted, but he disagrees with the assigned rating and wants a higher one. The VA has ordered a new examination to assess his current condition.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance or housebound status has been denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l) due to lack of anatomical loss or use, blindness, or inability to walk without assistive devices. Additionally, he is not permanently bedridden or in need of regular aid and attendance as a result of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further evaluation of his PTSD and right knee disability.

The Veteran's request to reopen his service connection claim for a right knee disorder is granted. The Board finds that new and material evidence has been submitted, including VA treatment records, a VA examination report, and lay statements from the Veteran. However, the claim remains remanded as the requested medical opinion was not provided.

The Veteran's right foot plantar fasciitis and soft tissue mass with degenerative arthritis are currently rated at 30 percent, but the Board finds that a rating in excess of 30 percent is not warranted due to lack of evidence showing loss of use of the foot. The left knee disability remains under consideration.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain missing VA treatment records from January 1980 to February 2002. The claims will be readjudicated after these records are obtained.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to new legal precedent regarding pain as a disability. The case will be reviewed with an eye towards determining whether the Veteran's low back and right knee conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss was denied due to lack of evidence meeting VA disability criteria.,Service connection for a lumbar spine disability is denied as there is no current evidence of such a condition or functional impairment.,Service connection for left hip osteoarthritis and right hip osteoarthritis is denied because the Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence showing these conditions were incurred during service.,Service connection for left knee osteoarthritis, right knee osteoarthritis, and right ankle disability is denied as there is no current evidence of such conditions or functional impairment.,Service connection for tubal ligation is denied because the procedure was voluntary and not due to disease or injury.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral knee arthritis due to new evidence received since the July 1983 rating decision. The Veteran's claim for service connection is reopened, but further examination is needed to determine if his hearing loss was aggravated by service and if his knee arthritis is related to military service.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee arthritis and dismissed the appeal seeking an increased rating for residual of prostate cancer.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims of low back pain, right hip condition, left hip condition, right knee condition, left knee condition, right ankle condition, left ankle condition, and acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD and depressive disorder).

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disability, including as secondary to his service-connected left and right hip disabilities. The case is being returned due to incomplete records and inadequate medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral knee disability and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee chondromalacia has been dismissed. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for an eye disability, including as due to radio frequency radiation exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, back disability, bilateral knee disability, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, seizure disorder, and thyroid disability. The effective dates for these decisions are not specified.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings of his left and right knee disabilities, so the Board has dismissed these cases.

The Veteran's right knee condition is being remanded for a determination on whether it was aggravated by his service-connected lumbar spine disability, and if so, the degree of aggravation.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's knee conditions and tinnitus.

The Veteran's bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is denied as not related to her service-connected recurrent right ovarian cyst. The ratings for left and right knee chondromalacia are also denied due to lack of evidence showing more than the currently assigned 10 percent disability.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of respiratory disability, left foot disability, right foot disability, left knee disability, and left hip disability due to the absence of an adequate substantive appeal. The claim for service connection of right knee disability was denied as there is no evidence linking the current condition to service.