Knee Board decisions

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for disabilities of the lumbosacral spine and legs and knees, bilaterally. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is pending.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's bilateral pes planus is service-connected, based on evidence showing it first manifested during his active duty.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current left knee disability and denied service connection for migraine headaches. The tension headaches were found to be incurred in service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a below-the-knee amputation of the right leg and degenerative joint disease of the left knee, render him unemployable due to his educational and occupational background.

The Board has granted a rating of 20 percent for the service-connected arthritis of the left knee, effective from the date of the May 1993 decision. The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left knee disability is granted.

The VA determined that the veteran's left knee disability, which is not linked to any specific exposure or presumption, does not warrant a rating higher than 20 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected right knee disability warrants a 20 percent evaluation under Diagnostic Code 5257, reflecting moderate impairment. The veteran does not meet criteria for higher evaluations based on more severe symptoms or functional limitations.

The Board denied the claim for a temporary total evaluation for convalescence purposes due to treatment of a service-connected left knee disability, finding that none of the factors for such an evaluation were applicable.

The Board has granted a 20 percent evaluation for postoperative residuals of the right knee effective from October 1, 1997. The veteran's condition was previously rated at 10 percent prior to this date.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, residuals of frostbite, a back condition, and a left knee condition. The veteran's stomach condition was not found to be proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD. The claim for an increased rating for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is denied.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for left knee disability and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a link between current arthritis and an in-service injury.

The veteran's claim of entitlement to an increased rating for temporomandibular joint syndrome is granted, with a rating of 10 percent. The claims for bilateral knee condition and pes planus are addressed in the remand attached to this decision.

The Board finds that the reduction of a 20 percent rating to noncompensable for residuals of a shell fragment injury of the right knee was proper and denies the appeal.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a rating greater than 10 percent for patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee and a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis, finding that the evidence did not support these claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for his right and left knee conditions, concluding that there was no evidence linking these disabilities to his military service.

The veteran's claim of entitlement to an increased rating for temporomandibular joint syndrome is granted, with a rating of 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for neck, back, and shoulder injuries as well as flat feet, chondromalacia of the right knee, and abrasion of the left knee. The decision also found that the veteran had no dental injury during service.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the veteran's residuals of left knee injury with lateral instability, effective from the date of this decision.

The VA denied an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's left knee arthroscopy, finding that his symptoms do not warrant a higher rating based on limitation of motion or instability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right and left knee disorders, finding that there was no evidence of instability or subluxation to warrant a compensable rating under Code 5257. The medical evidence showed full range of motion in both knees, with minimal limitation of motion due to arthritis, which did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under Codes 5260 and 5261.