Knee Board decisions

The veteran's claim for a higher original rating than the currently assigned 10 percent rating was granted. The RO increased the rating to 10 percent and made it effective from September 28, 1995.

The Board found that the veteran's claims of service connection for chronic right shoulder, left knee, and bilateral knee disabilities, as well as generalized anxiety disorder were not well-grounded. The evidence did not support a link between these conditions and active military service.

The veteran's claim for a greater than 40 percent evaluation for his right leg disability subsequent to January 1995 is denied. However, the claim for a 100 percent evaluation for one year following his total knee replacement is granted.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection are not well grounded, and thus denied.

The veteran's multiple disabilities, including his neck, back, knee, and liver conditions, render him permanently and totally disabled for pension purposes.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's left knee disability and found no compensable evaluation was warranted for residuals of excision of lipomas of the back.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for asbestosis and a disability of the knees were not well-grounded, thus denying them.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated medical records and conducting VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee and lumbar spine disabilities. The RO will also consider whether staged ratings are appropriate for the low back disability.

The veteran's right knee disability, which included a total knee replacement, was rated at 30 percent effective February 1, 1999. The RO noted that the evaluation would remain in effect pending a future VA review examination scheduled in December 1998 to determine whether a higher rating should be assigned.

The VA determined that the veteran's right knee and leg disorders are not compensable under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 because there is no competent evidence of an additional disability resulting from a May 1993 injection at a VA medical center.

The Board has determined that the veteran's medial meniscal tear of the left knee with degenerative changes is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected pes planus, and thus grants secondary service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting psychiatric disability increased in severity during service, and granted service connection for this condition. The other claims were not well-grounded.

The Board has granted a 20 percent evaluation for the postoperative residuals of a right knee ligamentous injury, and a separate 10 percent evaluation for the postoperative residuals of a left knee ligamentous injury. The veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities are rated based on instability and degenerative changes.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing at the Roanoke, Virginia, Regional Office of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder and determined that it is well-grounded. The claims for left ankle, right ankle, and lumbar spine disorders are also considered well-grounded.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for chondromalacia of the patellae of his right and left knees, as well as for flexor tendon loss of his right index finger, were all granted. The effective dates are not specified.

The Board found no evidence of a current left knee disability and concluded that the veteran's claim for service connection is not well grounded.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for hypertension, heart disease, diabetes mellitus and above the left knee amputation.

The veteran's left knee disability, characterized by painful chondromalacia and surgical scars, does not warrant an evaluation in excess of the current 20 percent rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased evaluation for his left knee disorder and for extension of a total rating following his prosthetic left knee replacement. The veteran was granted a temporary total (100%) rating for convalescence after his prosthetic knee joint replacement, but this period ended on April 30, 1998.