Knee Board decisions

The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of a bilateral knee condition or right ankle arthritis, and thus denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected left knee and lumbar spine disabilities due to a lack of recent VA examinations, and requests that he provide authorization for VA to obtain private medical records from Dr. Andrade.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of chronic low back, left knee, or right knee disabilities. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his left knee and low back conditions were denied. The RO found that the evidence did not support an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for residuals of left knee injury, post-operative with ACL instability, or a rating in excess of 10 percent for traumatic arthritis of the left knee.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss disability, left shoulder disability, right knee disability, and hypertension as there was no credible supporting evidence of a stressor and the Veteran did not engage in combat. The Veteran also had normal hearing during service.

The Veteran's claims for nerve and muscle damage due to surgery, right groin (to include right pelvic/hip damage causing the right side to be shorter than the left), root canal problems (to include gum disease with loss of teeth), fibromyalgia (to include body wide sickness and nausea secondary to dental work and extreme fatigue), depression, insomnia, neck problems (claimed as neck problems with bone spurring), back problems (claimed as scoliosis in the spine), chronic ear problems (claimed as hole punctured and eardrum), anemia, vision problems (to include an eye condition), hearing loss, impairment of the right knee, right foot condition, head condition, carpal tunnel syndrome, right (also claimed as paralysis of medial nerve), left knee condition, and left foot condition have all been denied due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine if he has any additional disability as a result of the total knee replacement and subsequent surgeries. The examiner will also need to address whether the additional disability was caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault on the part of VA.

The Board found that the appellant does not have qualifying service for VA non-service-connected pension benefits and denied his claims for service connection for arthritis of both knees, arthritis of both ankles, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's right and left knee disabilities have been granted service connection, but the initial ratings assigned are 10 percent for each knee.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for obtaining his medical records from the Cleveland VA medical center and Dr. H.T., M.D., as well as scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of his sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance of another person or being homebound is remanded due to conflicting evidence regarding his ability to perform daily activities and require assistance.

The Veteran's claims for service connection on appeal are being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for further examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right knee, osteoarthritis of the left knee, and a low back disability, finding that such conditions were not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board has ordered the VA to search for outpatient treatment records related to the Veteran's knee injuries from July 1963 to December 1975. The case is now remanded for further action.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including TBI and schizophrenia, as new and material evidence had not been received to reopen these claims. The claim for an eye disability was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to June 5, 2002 was denied as there is no legal basis due to the unemployability being primarily due to his service-connected psychological disorders.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service treatment records and further efforts are required to obtain these records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disorders, finding no evidence of a current disability related to active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, a low back disorder, and knee disorders. The decision also addressed whether new and material evidence had been received to reopen his claim of service connection for a low back strain.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostatitis and right knee disorder was denied. The claim to reopen a torn right medial meniscus was granted, but the issue of service connection remains denied due to aggravation of a pre-existing condition.