Knee Board decisions

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been addressed. The RO has granted a 10% rating for the residuals of a fracture of the left 5th metatarsal head effective December 17, 2001.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current right knee disorder or left hand disorder related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left shoulder, left knee, left wrist, and lumbar spine disabilities are related to her military service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disorder and granted a 10 percent evaluation for bilateral hearing loss with perforated right ear drum.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling examinations to assess his left knee, left thigh, back disability, and hearing loss.

The veteran's appeal was denied for increased rating and service connection. The RO confirmed the current 40% rating for his right knee disorder, but denied service connection for cervical strain and multiple other conditions.

The Board has granted a 20 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected internal derangement of the left knee, and denied any increase in rating for post-traumatic degenerative changes of the left knee.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, right arm impairment, and depression. The claim of service connection for floppy mitral valve syndrome was reopened but not granted. The claim of service connection for left knee disability was not granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for her left and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the current range of motion or any other applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that the new evidence submitted was not material.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee total arthroplasty as secondary to the service connected right knee disorder, but denied service connection for a low back condition on the basis that it is not related to service.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for a TDIU, finding that there was no evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to May 19, 2004.

The veteran's bladder neck resuspension is currently rated at 40 percent, which meets the criteria for this condition. The RO denied her claims regarding fractures of the left third and fourth fingers, bacterial vaginitis, left knee tendonitis, and right knee patellar chondromalacia and synovitis as well as her request for an earlier effective date for a higher rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for fibromyalgia, synovitis of multiple joints (knees, hands, left hip, and low back), and degenerative and rheumatoid arthritis. The decision also addressed whether new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen previously denied claims.

The Board granted service connection for acne and a left knee disability, and increased the ratings for costochondritis, actinic keratoses of bilateral hands, hemorrhoids, and umbilical hernia.

The Board denied service connection for defective hearing and a right knee disability, finding that the evidence did not support these claims.

The veteran's service-connected lumbar disability was not found to warrant an increased evaluation, and his claims for other conditions were denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral shoulder disorder, right foot disability (plantar fasciitis), and right knee disorder (claimed as residuals of shrapnel wound). The claim for encephalitis was not addressed due to lack of evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and original disability ratings in several cases, including bilateral hearing loss, PTSD with bipolar disorder, right knee tendonitis, lumbar strain, acne vulgaris, and pes planus.

The Board has granted a separate 10 percent rating for minimal bicompartmental osteoarthritis and medial meniscus degeneration of the left knee, but denied an increased rating for the veteran's overall left knee disability due to lack of evidence showing limitation of motion to 60 degrees or extension to 5 degrees.