Knee Board decisions

The veteran's fatigue and migraine headaches are presumed to be due to an undiagnosed illness that developed during service. The left knee arthritis is also presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151, finding that the right clavicular fracture did not result from VA treatment or vocational rehabilitation.

The veteran's claim for retroactive payment of clothing allowance benefits from 1991 through 1997 is denied as the law does not provide for such payments.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the elbows and increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities. The RO is instructed to ensure all notification and development actions required by the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 are completed.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right knee disability does not warrant an extension of a temporary total evaluation beyond December 31, 1996 due to lack of evidence of continued convalescence following surgery.

The veteran's claim for TDIU benefits is being remanded due to the inextricability of his PTSD increased rating claim. His combined service-connected disability rating does not meet the schedular minimum set forth under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a).

The RO confirmed and continued the ratings for mechanical back pain, torn medial meniscus of the left knee, and torn medial meniscus of the right knee at 20 percent each.

The RO has assigned initial evaluations of 20%, 10%, and 10% for the veteran's right knee, left knee, and left elbow disabilities, respectively. The Board finds that these evaluations are appropriate based on the current evidence of record.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected residuals of a fracture of the left femur with left knee pain and arthritis, currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability for which service connection may be granted, including for the claimed bilateral hip condition, knee condition, ankle condition, low back condition, and hearing loss. Therefore, service connection is denied.

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

The veteran's service connection claims for arthritis of the ankles, degenerative changes of the lumbar and thoracic spine, and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine have been granted. The veteran is currently assigned a noncompensable rating for arthritis in both knees.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee injury, concluding that it was not related to his military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and arranging for a VA examination to assess the extent of his knee disabilities. The issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent for low back disability will be addressed separately.

The Board denied the veteran's application to reopen his claim of service connection for thrombophlebitis of the left leg, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 30 percent rating for degenerative joint disease of the left knee has been granted.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of a head injury and right knee disability, but further development is needed to determine if these conditions are related to military service.

The veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities are found to render him unable to obtain substantially gainful employment, meeting the schedular criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the veteran's appeal to allow for additional development, including obtaining medical records and a statement of the case (SOC) addressing her left knee condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed disabilities are not related to his service in the Persian Gulf War, and thus does not warrant service connection under the provisions of Chapter 11 of Title 38, United States Code.