Knee Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD and COPD. The reasons were that there was no competent medical evidence of a diagnosis or etiology for PTSD, and the VA examinations did not find any current disabilities related to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected bilateral pes planus and right and left knee disabilities, finding that the highest schedular evaluation available (50%) had been assigned.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a gynecological disorder, finding no evidence linking her current condition to her period of active service.,The Board also denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for right knee injury and arthritis of the right knee, as there was no medical evidence showing that these conditions were more disabling than currently evaluated.

The Board has granted service connection for urinary incontinence, but denied service connection for fibrocystic breast disease and bilateral knee disorder.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including re-evaluating the veteran's service-connected left knee disability and considering whether the manifestations of this disability warrant evaluation under separate diagnostic codes. The current claim for service connection for a back disability as incurred during active military service is also being considered.

The veteran's left knee disability, characterized by painful motion and functional loss due to pain, has been granted an initial evaluation of 40 percent from July 3, 1993 to December 9, 1996 and on and after March 1, 1997.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not currently have a left knee disorder and did not incur one during service. As such, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral defective hearing and an ear disability manifested by chronic ear infections. The veteran was not granted a rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected left knee disorder or IBS.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his right knee disorder and anxiety reaction, finding that the evidence did not warrant a higher rating under the applicable criteria.

The veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 3, 1996, for a grant of total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded due to procedural issues.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for a left knee disorder, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between the veteran's current condition and his military service.

The veteran's claim for TDIU benefits is being remanded due to insufficient medical evidence and the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA disability records, VA rehabilitation records, treatment records from Decatur and Danville VAMCs, and a VA examination.

The Board denied a claim alleging clear and unmistakable error in the December 1994 rating decision that assigned a 20 percent evaluation for residuals of a fracture of the right femur with knee involvement. The evidence did not support granting a higher rating based on marked knee disability or severe muscle injury.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected left knee disability did not cause or contribute to his death, and concluded that other conditions (such as vascular disease) were more significant in causing his amputation and subsequent pulmonary embolus.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability is being remanded due to the need for additional development under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to February 22, 1996.

The Board denied increased evaluations for the veteran's right and left knee disabilities, finding that the current ratings adequately reflected the severity of his conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for cystic acne, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder. The veteran's PTSD was reopened on new evidence, but the claim is pending further development.

The Board is unable to determine the nature and etiology of the veteran's claimed conditions, as well as their relationship to his service-connected condition. The issues are therefore considered mixed.

The veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of both knees was denied. The claim for increased rating for major depressive disorder was partially granted, with a 50% rating effective from June 8, 1998.