Knee Board decisions

The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the 1961 and 1985 rating decisions, and denied claims for service connection based on secondary effects of a pre-existing right knee disability.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to his inability to use both lower extremities without aid.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee and right foot disorder due to lack of well-groundedness. The RO provided additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination, but the Board found that an opinion regarding the etiology of any current right knee or right foot disability was not provided by the examiner.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected arthritis of the left and right knees, finding that the current evaluations adequately reflect their severity.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected scars do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation, and thus denied his claim for an increased rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a vitreous floater of the right eye, refractive error, and a psychiatric disorder secondary to service-connected disabilities. The appeal was also denied for service connection for a dental condition.

The Board has granted a separate 10 percent rating for subluxation and instability of the right knee from September 23, 1992 to April 19, 2000. For the period after April 19, 2000, the veteran's right knee disorder is currently rated at 30 percent disabling.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral knee disability, right ankle sprain, and shin splints were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating than 10 percent for any of these conditions.

The veteran seeks service connection for arthritis of the left knee and lumbar scoliosis, claiming these conditions are related to his service-connected left knee condition. The Board has ordered additional development including a VA examination.

The veteran's claims for higher evaluations for bilateral hearing loss and left knee disorder were denied. The RO granted a 40 percent evaluation for the left knee disorder, effective from May 1, 1999.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not incur a bilateral shoulder disability as a result of active service. The claims for respiratory disorder, arthritis of the right knee, and gastrointestinal disorder have been reopened due to new evidence submitted since the previous final decision but remain denied.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, secondary to the veteran's service-connected PTSD and orthopedic conditions. The effective date is not specified as it was a grant of service connection.

The veteran's right knee is mildly symptomatic post-meniscectomy, warranting a 10% rating.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a right knee disorder. The claim will now be reviewed on its merits.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to address the etiology of his total right knee replacement and the current severity of his service-connected knee conditions.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims of service connection for back and left knee disorders.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right hip, left knee, and low back disorders as not well grounded. The RO also increased the evaluation for post-concussion syndrome with post traumatic migraine headaches and memory loss to 30 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected disabilities, including thoracic spine contusion with T4-5 deformity, sural nerve impairment of the right foot, and various knee and ankle disabilities. The evaluations were all denied as not meeting the criteria for an increase in disability rating.

The veteran's death was not service-connected, and the appellant did not demonstrate clear and unmistakable error in prior decisions. Therefore, DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 were denied.

The Board has granted a temporary total rating of 50% for the service-connected patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee following arthroscopy, effective from December to May 1995. The effective date remains pending as additional records are needed.