Knee Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have a combined effect on his lower extremities so as to effectively preclude locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair. As such, he is entitled to assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar disk syndrome and finds that new and material evidence has been received. The issue of service connection for a bilateral knee disability remains on appeal.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including left knee and left ankle disabilities, low back disability, lung disorder as a result of asbestos exposure, left hip disability, and residuals of a fracture of the nose. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and hospitalization records related to a right knee injury in Germany. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for his right knee disorder will be reconsidered based on this new information.

The Board has determined that service connection is granted for a right lung disorder manifested by lesions/granulomas, and denied for the other conditions listed. The Veteran's claims are supported by medical evidence of record.

The Board denied service connection for right knee synovitis and bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran did not have a current disability or chronic symptomatology since service. The Board also found no evidence of in-service noise exposure leading to tinnitus.

The Veteran's loss of use of both lower extremities due to his service-connected injuries has been established, rendering moot his claim for a special home adaptation grant.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the Veteran's current functional and occupational capacity due to his service-connected disabilities. The case will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Veteran's service-connected post-traumatic arthritis of the right knee with shortening of the right lower leg prevents him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current bilateral lower extremities disorder is not related to service or a service-connected disability, and thus denied her claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for DJD of the left knee as secondary to his service-connected internal derangement, lateral meniscus tear, left knee. The Veteran's current evaluation remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluation and service connection are being remanded to the RO for additional development.

The Board found that the Veteran's left knee arthritis is not related to his service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 60 percent, effective February 1, 2004.,For the cervical spine disability, a separate 10 percent rating was granted for degenerative disc disease and a 20 percent rating for radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, both effective February 25, 2008.

The Board has denied all claims for higher ratings for the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities on an extraschedular basis, finding that the schedular criteria adequately address his disability picture.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for a left knee disability, which was previously denied in June 1991.

The Veteran's right knee instability and limitation of extension are rated at 30 percent, effective September 21, 2010. The Veteran is not entitled to increased ratings for these conditions prior to that date.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (right total knee replacement residuals, left total knee replacement residuals, right hip trochanteric bursitis, and left hip trochanteric bursitis) are of such severity as to render him unemployable without regard to his age or any nonservice-connected conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee, hip, and tailbone disorders are being remanded due to incomplete development. The VA is required to ensure that all VCAA notice obligations are satisfied in accordance with the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 (VCAA).

The Veteran's right knee degenerative joint disease and instability have been rated at the maximum available under VA regulations, with no further increase in rating possible.