Knee Board decisions

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for her 20% and 30% ratings for left knee disability and migraine headaches, respectively. The veteran was granted a June 26, 1996 effective date for her 20% rating for left knee fracture but not for her migraine headaches.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing and maintaining gainful employment as of May 22, 1997. The effective date for the TDIU rating is set at this date.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection for various disabilities, including a low back disability, right ankle disability, and right knee disability. The RO granted service connection for left distal fibula fracture and closed reduction and external fixation tibia fracture with iliac crest bone graft, but denied other requested benefits.

The Board has granted service connection for right wrist, bilateral knee, and right ankle disabilities. The lipoma of the right costal margin is not considered disabling.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings for hypertension and PTSD, as well as his claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability. The appeals were not about service connection.

The VA determined that the veteran's left knee disability, which includes traumatic arthritis and a history of instability, does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 30 percent.

The Board has denied the veteran's application for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to lack of evidence showing service-connected disability that meets the criteria for such benefits.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disability, characterized as osteoarthrosis, warrants a 20 percent evaluation. The evidence shows significant pain and limited motion in both knees, but no instability or severe impairment.

The Board has denied the reopening of the veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and back conditions due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board granted service connection for carcinoma of the lung, status post lobectomy and radiation with a 30 percent evaluation. The claim for intermittent left knee strain was also granted but assigned a noncompensable evaluation.

The Board denied increased evaluations for various service-connected conditions, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under either version of the applicable rating criteria.

The veteran's appeal was denied for increased ratings for low back pain and bilateral knee disorders due to lack of timely filing of a substantive appeal. The RO assigned a 10 percent rating for mechanical low back pain effective June 13, 1996.

The Board has determined that the veteran's preexisting left knee condition, including a torn medial meniscus and patellar mal-alignment, did not increase in severity or worsen during her active duty service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's service-connected mechanical low back pain warrants a 10% disability rating since her separation from active military service.,Similarly, the residuals of a stress fracture of the left knee are rated at 10%, also since her separation from active military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for residuals of a left knee injury with calcific deposits, finding that the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected retropatellar pain syndrome of the right knee and left lower extremity.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence does not constitute new and material evidence to reopen the claim for service connection of a left knee disorder. The veteran's claim remains final.

The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for the veteran's low back disorder, effective from March 2000. The ratings for left and right knee disorders remain at 10 percent each.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and evaluations for his claimed conditions, finding that none of the conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The veteran's appeal is for a higher rating for his service-connected right knee disability, which has been rated at 30 percent. The RO needs to obtain more recent medical records and schedule the veteran for an orthopedic evaluation to determine if he should be entitled to a higher rating.