Knee Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee instability warrants a 20 percent disability evaluation, which is the highest rating available under Diagnostic Code 5257.

The veteran's disabilities, including back pain, PTSD, and knee injury, have rendered him unemployable due to his age, education, and occupational history. Effective September 17, 2001, the veteran is entitled to a permanent and total disability rating for nonservice-connected pension purposes.

The Board finds that the veteran's left knee disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and BCC are related to service. However, BCC is not presumed due to Agent Orange exposure as it is not one of the diseases covered by the presumption. Service connection for chloracne is denied as there is no evidence linking it to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right and left knee disorders were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The veteran's claim for TDIU was granted effective from May 26, 2000, when his combined service-connected ratings reached 70 percent. The RO also increased the evaluation for right femur disability to 10 percent and left knee disability to 10 percent, both effective from May 26, 2000.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed bilateral knee disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and residuals of a fracture of the fifth digit of the right foot were not incurred or aggravated by active service. The claims are denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for postoperative residuals, left knee injury and left knee arthritis. The postoperative residuals were rated at 30 percent, which is the highest rating available under Diagnostic Code 5257 (anterior cruciate ligament insufficiency). The left knee arthritis was assigned a 10 percent evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to increased evaluations for right and left patellofemoral pain syndrome, finding that his knee disabilities did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are mixed, with some issues granted and others not. The right knee disability is rated at 20%, but there are separate issues regarding left knee, left ankle, and right ankle disabilities.

The Board finds that arthritis of the cervical spine, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, and feet was not incurred in or aggravated by service. The evidence does not show that any current arthritis is related to service.

The veteran's left knee subluxation and status post lateral release, traumatic arthritis, and post-operative scar are all rated at the maximum schedular rating. Service connection for right knee arthritis and lumbosacral pain is granted.

The Board denied a higher rating for the service-connected subluxation of the right knee, finding that the evidence did not show more than slight impairment.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of the left knee and finds no causal relationship between his service-connected right knee injury and his claimed left knee condition. As such, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right hip, low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities do not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent under any applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right and left knee disabilities, as well as his low back disorder, were not incurred in or aggravated by active duty service.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for lumbosacral strain and left knee disability were denied as there is no indication of service connection issues related to exposure or other presumptive conditions.

The veteran is granted a 30 percent evaluation for his service-connected right knee disorder effective April 5, 2001. He was previously awarded noncompensable evaluations from December 5, 1997, to August 28, 1999, and 10 percent evaluations from August 28, 1999, until January 1, 2000.

The Board found that the veteran's right knee disorder is not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disease or injury, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and amputations of both legs, meet the criteria for SMC at a level of 50%.

The Board denied increased ratings for the veteran's left knee injury with chondromalacia of the patella and compression fracture, L2, with degenerative joint disease.