Knee Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional medical records and a VA examination, as the veteran underwent total right knee replacement surgery in September 2004.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for secondary service connection for lumbar spine disability, bilateral hip arthritis, and disabilities of the knees and ankles. The appeals were not granted.

The VA has determined that the veteran's right knee disability, characterized by instability without definite pain, weakness or swelling, warrants a 10 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5257.

The VA determined that the veteran's current right knee disability did not exist prior to service and was not aggravated by service. The Board found that the pre-service injury existed, but it did not worsen during service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee disability is related to service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The November 21, 1972 rating decision granted service connection for minimal osteoarthritis of both knees and denied service connection for the postoperative residuals of a left knee meniscectomy. The veteran's appeal is mixed as some issues were granted (service connection for arthritis) while others were not (denial of residuals from surgery).

The veteran's service-connected left and right knee patellofemoral syndromes are each rated at 10 percent, effective September 24, 1998. The residuals of fracture to the 5th metatarsal in the right foot are currently noncompensable.

The veteran's claimed conditions are not service-connected due to lack of evidence supporting a link between his symptoms and active duty.

The veteran's claims for an increased rating and service connection were denied. The herniated nucleus pulposus at L5-S1 is currently rated as 20 percent disabling, effective October 21, 1998.

The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for traumatic arthritis of the left knee and a 20 percent rating for postoperative residuals of subtrochanteric fracture of the left femur, effective from November 17, 1994.

The veteran's claim for increased ratings for right knee and diabetes mellitus was denied. The RO has combined a 50 percent rating for status post internal derangement of the right knee with residuals and degenerative changes, and a 20 percent rating for instability of the right knee, resulting in a total combined rating of 60 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate examination and failure to address all relevant factors in evaluating the veteran's knee disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disorder, characterized by range of motion from 0 to 140 degrees with pain on flexion and extension, warrants a rating of 20 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a knee injury in service or current chronic disability, and thus denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher ratings for his post-meniscectomy right knee disability, degenerative joint disease of the right knee, and post-operative scarring of the right knee. The evidence did not support a rating higher than 10 percent for any of these conditions.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection of his degenerative arthritis of the left knee, finding that there is no evidence linking this condition to his military service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings of his left knee and right scaphoid disabilities were denied. The claim for the left pectoralis tear was also denied, but the RO granted service connection for mechanical low back pain with abnormal bone scan and mild degenerative disc disease.

The veteran's claims for service connection for joint and muscle pain of the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, including as due to an undiagnosed illness, and for post-traumatic stress disorder were denied. The Board found that there was no competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's right shoulder and bilateral knee disorders were not related to service or his service-connected PTSD. The claim for benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was also denied as there is no evidence showing VA treatment caused the veteran's injuries.