Knee Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disorder and finds that new and material evidence has been submitted. The case is now remanded for further development, including an examination to determine if any current left knee disorder is related to active duty service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar disc disease, residuals of a right shoulder injury, and residuals of a right knee injury. However, the preponderance of the evidence is against these claims as there is no current diagnosis or competent medical opinion linking any current disabilities to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for his right ankle disability, bilateral knee osteoarthritis, and symptomatic removal of semilunar cartilage were denied. The Veteran was granted a separate 10 percent rating for the symptomatic removal of semilunar cartilage of the right knee.

The Board found that the Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected disability pension benefits was not received prior to April 11, 2006. As a result, the effective date of the grant of benefits is set as of April 11, 2006.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability. However, the claim remains denied as there is no competent evidence linking any current right knee disability to service.

The Board found that the reduction in the evaluation for right knee ligament relaxation, patellofemoral syndrome from 20 percent to 0 percent was proper.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities or a link to service.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his right knee disorder and his cardiovascular conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is granted, and he is now rated at 10 percent for lateral instability of the left knee.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection for arthritis of the left knee, left hip, right hip, and right knee. The decision also noted that the Veteran had slight recurrent subluxation or lateral instability in his right knee, effusion into the joint, and limited and painful motion with clinical findings of degenerative joint disease.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, right hip strain with residuals, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, and patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee were denied. The claim for SMC based on need for aid and attendance or being housebound was withdrawn by the Veteran. The claims for vocational rehabilitation benefits, specially adapted housing, and TDIU due to service-connected disability were also withdrawn.

The Veteran is seeking an increased disability rating for his service-connected left tibia stress fracture and associated left knee chondromalacia. The case has been remanded due to the need for additional evidentiary development, including obtaining private examination reports.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection of a right knee disorder and also denied an increased rating for his left wrist fracture.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right knee and assigned a 10 percent disability evaluation effective from October 18, 2008. The Veteran's appeal remains in appellate status as he is seeking an increased evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral knee disability, low back disability, and bilateral hearing loss due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran's current right knee osteoarthritis did not have its onset in service and is unrelated to his period of active duty. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran's left knee disability, postoperative residuals of a knee injury, is currently rated at 20 percent and the claim for an increased rating has been denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher evaluations or service connection in all cases.