Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing the case.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and low back disorders based on new evidence provided by a private physician. The case is now remanded to provide appropriate VA examinations and opinions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his knee disabilities and service connection for migraine headaches due to potential issues with the adequacy of the examination reports, incomplete medical records, and consideration of a temporary total convalescence rating.

The RO denied increased ratings for the appellant's right shoulder, wrist, knee and ankle disabilities.,The evidence did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection were denied. The April 1953 rating decision denying service connection for a back disorder was not found to contain CUE.

The Board has determined that service connection is warranted for the Veteran's left ankle disorder, but denied his claims of service connection for other conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left and right knee disabilities were denied. The VA determined that the evidence did not support a higher rating than 10 percent under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to determine if his service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected residuals of a right ankle injury warrant an increased rating to 20 percent, and his service-connected residuals of a right knee injury warrant a rating of 30 percent for limitation of extension. The current ratings are appropriate based on the severity of the disabilities as described in the medical records.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board dismissed the case due to this withdrawal.

The Board is reopening the claims for service connection for hypertension, skin disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, and right knee disability on the basis of new and material evidence. The claims will be remanded to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC) for further development before readjudication.

The Veteran's nonservice-connected disabilities do not render him so helpless as to need regular aid and attendance in the activities of daily living, thus denying his claim for special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Board has granted a separate evaluation of 10 percent for instability of the right knee under DC 5257, subject to the controlling regulations applicable to the payment of monetary benefits.

The Veteran's initial evaluations for his left knee disorder and low back disorder were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation.

The VA has denied the claims for increased ratings for left knee patella femoral pain syndrome, right knee patella femoral pain syndrome, and left shoulder tendonitis. The evidence does not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a neck disability, headaches, bilateral knee disability, and an initial compensable rating for sinusitis with allergies. The decision found that there was no evidence supporting additional low back or neck disabilities due to VA treatment in 1999, and concluded that the Veteran did not have sufficient underlying pathology to support his complaints of chronic back pain.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his right knee disability. The claim will be readjudicated after the examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and private medical records. A VA examination will be conducted to determine the nature and etiology of her psychiatric disorder and right knee disorder.

The Veteran's left knee and right ankle disabilities are being remanded for additional development to determine if they are related to her service-connected right knee and left ankle disabilities.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his military service, and he is granted service connection for this condition.