Knee Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for residuals of a left patella tendon repair, currently rated as 30 percent disabling.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a neurological disorder of both legs and feet was granted. The claims for arthritis of both feet, ankles, knees, and legs and chronic bronchitis were denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed knee and hip disorders are not shown to be due to any event or incident of his service, nor have they been caused or aggravated by his service-connected right ankle disability. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.

The veteran's left knee disorder is rated at 10% due to pain and slight limitation of motion, but no additional rating can be granted under the current criteria.,For his chronic lumbar strain, he is currently rated at 10%, which includes consideration of degenerative changes confirmed by x-ray.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service records and medical records from VA facilities. The veteran is also required to provide any relevant evidence in her possession.

The veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including granuloma annulare, degenerative joint disease and impingement syndrome of the shoulders, causalgia and type I complex regional pain syndrome of the left knee and heel, as well as joint pain of the right ankle, right knee, and hips were denied. The claims were reopened on new evidence.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have a bilateral hip disability, a bilateral knee disability, a bilateral ankle disability, a thoracic spine disability, or a lumbar spine disability. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right shoulder disorder is not service-connected, but his right knee disorder is aggravated by his service-connected left knee disability. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities (TDIU) will be addressed by the RO.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for multiple joint pain of the knees, hands, wrists and elbows, finding that there was no evidence linking these disabilities to service or an undiagnosed illness. The knee disability was diagnosed as chondromalacia patella, which is not related to service. The wrist, hand and elbow disabilities were not present in service or manifested to a degree of 10 percent or more after service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss in the left ear had its onset during service and granted service connection for this condition. The Board also found no current disability of the left knee or chronic low back disability, thus denying these claims.

The veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was denied, and the effective date of his TDIU award is not granted. The dental condition claim remains pending.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bursitis/degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder, dental disability, PTSD, gastroesophageal reflux disorder, coronary artery disease, and lumbar degenerative disc disease, were denied. The conditions are not considered to be related to military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral knee disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by military service, and denied his claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for PTSD with depression due to VA treatment.

The Board has granted increased evaluations for the veteran's left and right knee disabilities, each rated at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing service medical records and outstanding VA outpatient medical records.

The Board granted service connection for disabilities of the left knee, left hip, and low back effective May 17, 2000. The claim for a left ankle disability was also granted effective May 17, 2000. No earlier effective dates are warranted.

The Board found no evidence of a service-connected frostbite or cold injury, and thus denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right eye disability, diabetes mellitus, and left knee disability including arthritis. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examination.

The Board denied the claim for service connection of a low back disorder as secondary to service-connected right knee disabilities, finding that appellant's current low back condition is more likely related to his workplace injury in 1983 than to his service-connected right knee disability.