Knee Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for a right knee disability, finding that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen his previous claim.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected lumbosacral spine, right knee instability, left knee instability, right knee degenerative joint disease, and left knee degenerative joint disease were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further action, including scheduling a personal hearing before a traveling Veterans Law Judge at the Winston-Salem, North Carolina RO.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the claims for left knee, low back, and left ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected post-operative residuals of an injury to the right knee with chondromalacia are currently rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code (DC) 5258. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted as his symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for any other DCs.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations and obtaining pertinent treatment records.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed as he has requested that the issues be returned to the RO for reconsideration.

The Veteran's right knee and left hip disabilities are rated at the maximum available under VA regulations, with no additional ratings granted for instability of the left knee. The TDIU claim is also granted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional examination and treatment records.

The Veteran's right knee arthritis and residuals of thoracic and lumbar spine fractures are found to be related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's lumbosacral spine, cervical spine, left knee, right knee, left hip, and right hip disabilities were all rated at the maximum available rating of 20 percent. The decision did not address any other issues or claims.

The Board found no evidence linking the left knee disability to service or any incident therein, and concluded that it is not related to the service-connected right knee strain.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of left and right knee strains have been granted by a December 2011 rating decision.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disorder, finding no evidence of such condition during or after service. The Veteran's right knee disability was granted an increased rating to 20% prior to March 29, 2006, but the claim for a higher rating from that date forward remains denied.,The Board found that the Veteran's severe left knee tricompartmental disease is not related to her service-connected right knee disability.

The Board granted service connection for a left knee disability and increased the rating for residuals of gunshot wounds to the right shoulder. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities was also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder, knee, hip, ankle, and foot disabilities are related to his active service. The skin disability including skin cancer is not presumed or directly linked to his active duty.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence submitted by the appellant and inadequate VA examinations. The issues of service connection for hip and knee disorders, as well as a rating in excess of 10 percent for plantar warts, hyperhidrosis, and periungual warts are now before the RO.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by or a result of his service-connected disabilities, including postoperative meniscectomy, right knee osteoarthritis and severe left knee degenerative joint disease. The underlying cause of death, congestive heart failure (with ASHD as the primary condition), is attributed to multiple risk factors rather than the Veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his service-connected tibiofemoral joint right knee arthritis and associated instability is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and a cervical spine disorder, as well as his secondary service connection claims for bilateral knee disorders. The decision also addressed issues related to reopening of previously denied claims.