Knee Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee disability is not service connected as secondary to his service-connected low back disorder.

The veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred as a result of private physical therapy treatments from August 18, 1998, to October 15, 1998 is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for traumatic arthritis of his left knee, right ankle, and left ankle. The RO had previously awarded a 10% rating for each disability.

The Board has denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral knee condition, finding that the evidence submitted since the November 1996 decision is not new and material.

The Board found that DJD of the left knee, right knee, and left shoulder did not occur during service or due to a service-connected condition. The claim is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, insomnia, throat disorder, and right foot disorder. The claim of reopening a low back disorder was also denied.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of arthritis in the left hand, and the VA examinations did not support a current disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disability, post-total replacement, does not warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent. The right knee degenerative osteoarthritis is also rated at its maximum allowable under VA guidelines.

The Board found no current diagnosed disabilities of the left wrist, low back, or bilateral knees and denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board has granted a combined evaluation of 30 percent for the veteran's left knee disability, with a 10 percent rating under Code 5257 and a 20 percent rating under Code 5258. The decision is based on moderate instability and arthritis.

The Board has determined that the veteran's back disability is service-connected, and his bilateral knee disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disability, characterized by unsteadiness and occasional locking but without limitation of motion beyond normal range, does not warrant a rating in excess of the current 10 percent evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for various conditions, including bronchitis, bilateral knee condition, bilateral leg pain, concussion, right shoulder dislocation, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine at L5-S1, and bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran's overpayments of VA benefits for his children were found to be invalid due to administrative error, and the claims are denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating are not well-grounded, and a remand is required to obtain additional development under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.

The appellant is not eligible for DIC or death pension benefits as an adult helpless child of the veteran due to her marriage termination date.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, tendonitis of the elbows, and residuals of a left knee injury were not related to his active service. The exposure to fuels, halon, asbestos, and choking in altitude chambers was also not supported by evidence.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating and earlier effective date for his service-connected traumatic arthritis of the left knee is being remanded to allow for further development and consideration.

The veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for left below-the-knee amputation has been dismissed due to the death of the veteran.

The Board denied service connection for back and left knee disorders, as well as an increased evaluation for shell fragment wounds of the head. The decision was based on the lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.