Knee Board decisions

The Veteran's bipolar-2 disorder is rated at 70 percent, and his knees are each rated at 10 percent. The Veteran has a torn meniscus in both knees which warrants separate ratings of 20 percent for each knee.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling a VA orthopedic examination to determine the nature and etiology of all right knee disorders. The Veteran's claims will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of current back or right knee disabilities, and thus service connection cannot be granted for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is granted, with an effective date of September 17, 1998 for the election of compensation benefits in lieu of military retired pay. The issue of calculating compensation benefits based on this election remains pending.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and a right knee disorder, as well as an increased rating for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome with degenerative joint disease (DJD). The Veteran's current conditions are not considered to be related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records, including a recent MRI of the Veteran's right knee. The claim will be reconsidered after these records are obtained.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disorder, finding that it did not increase in severity during service and is not proximately due to or the result of his service-connected left foot disability.

The Veteran's left and right knee disabilities are each rated at 30 percent, the maximum rating available under VA regulations. The evidence does not support a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's right knee disability is manifested as status post-medical meniscectomy with no more than moderate subluxation and instability, and with degenerative joint disease with painful motion and extension limited by 18 degrees. The Board has determined that the Veteran's disability is better evaluated under Diagnostic Codes 5257 and 5261.

The Veteran's appeal for TDIU is being remanded due to the need for compliance with VCAA notification and assistance requirements, including obtaining SSA disability determinations and medical records, as well as scheduling a VA examination to assess his employability.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, chronic sinusitis, and sleep apnea as secondary to sinusitis. The Veteran's pre-existing conditions were not aggravated by service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for elevated liver enzymes, right knee chondromalacia, and left knee chondromalacia. The Veteran was not granted any initial evaluations.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for left knee arthritis was denied as the RO has already assigned the earliest possible effective date provided by law.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to issues related to service connection for left knee and upper respiratory disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected right lateral meniscectomy and traumatic arthritis in the right knee are currently evaluated at 20 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available under DCs 5256-5263. The Board finds no basis to grant a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to the death of the claimant.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected left wrist fracture, lumbar strain, and right knee injury were denied as the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for depression, finding that it is proximately due to his service-connected disabilities. The issue of service connection for a left knee disability remains remanded as there are unresolved questions regarding its onset and relationship to service.

New and material evidence was received for all four claims, allowing them to be reopened. However, the claims for service connection were not substantiated based on the available medical evidence.