hypertension Help With Filing For An Increasse

[Charleese]

Hi everyone,

As many of you know my husband has a service connected left knee injury which he got in 1954. Even though he originally filed a claim in 1958 that VA lost and which is presently under appeal, he also filed another one in Connecticut in 1983 which they are trying to say that this is his original claim because they do not have 1j958 claim. He has chronic pain for his left knee injury and in January of this year he has been fitted for a knee brace because of his constant falling down.

However in 1983 his VA Medical Certificate list his Blood Pressure at 150/100. In the latter part of the 90s his primary doctor listed him as having High Blood Pressure as well as VA Doctors and gave him medication for it, and he continues to take medication today to control it. VA and Primary Doctor has also diagnosis him with Diabetes, Gout in Left foot, Bilateral Carpal Tunnel, (had one hand operated on and that didn't work so he refuse to have other operated on),Atrophy, Right Knee (swells and they have to draw fluid out of it),Left Shoulder pain for over 30 years that VA says they don't know what cause it, Depression recently diagnosis by VA Doctor and given medicine for it and ED. His Scaring and Osteoarthritis are presently under appeal.

My question is how do I connect his Hypertension, Diabetes, Gout, Bilateral Carpal Tunnel,Atrophy, Right Knee, Left Shoulder, Depression,and ED to his left knee injury?

He also had the Mumps while in service and was diagnosis with Parotitis, epidemic dut o Mumps and Orchitis, acute, non verneral dut to Mumps. He developed the Mumps in June 1955. Knee injury was in December 1954.

My question is How if anything would this tie in for an increase?

Thanks to all who answer.

[hayley3]

You cannot connect his left knee injury to anything else. It should stand alone.

The way I'm understanding this is, you have already appealed a claim on the knee and are awaiting the results. Right?

If they decide the knee is service connected, which it sounds like it is, they would just add that percentage to his current percentage.

Hope I'm understanding your question correctly. If not please say so.

[jbasser]

Charlese, does your husband have any thing that could be secondary to the Knee. I have seen Awards secondary to the knees because the person has an abnormal gait and strain on another part of the body. You have to have an MD to state that of course. Now for HTN and DMII, Did he have HTN in service or within 1 year after separation. If so was the readings mainly 160 top or 100 bottom? Which was diagnosed first, DMII or HTN. Was he exposed to AO?

I apologize for asking so many questions but it is in order to better undserstand.

Edited May 16, 2007 by jbasser

[Charleese]

Thanks hayley3,

Maybe I am phrasing this wrong but what I am trying to do is find out how to make his hypertension, diabetes, Gout, L Shoulder and Right Knee so he would get a percentage for it. Would all of this be secondary to his Left Knee injury.

In his 2004 SSOC it states "The examiner states that you have atrophy of the left thigh because of the limited use of the left knee." I believe he can put in Service Connection for atrophy. But the others above don't say anything that would connect. I don't know whether he can say secondary for them or not.

[Charleese]

Hi jbasser.

His last exam by his primary doctor states MS: gait and station: limping, lower extremities left palpation tender, lower extremities left RoM: with rotation, flexion and extension. His last exam with VA in 2004 states: "The examiner states that there is mild swelling. Your left knee range of motion was possible from 0 degrees to 80 degrees flexion with pain and guarding toward the end of flexion. The examiner reports thar you have severe patellofemoral joint arthritis of the left knee with marked loss of the joint space and osteophytes, and mild genu valgus deformity when compared to the right side. The examiner states that yu have atroophy of the left thigh because of the limited use of the left knee. The examiner finds that your left knee function is severely and profoundly limited at this time."

I know he can connect atrophy to his left knee injury is there anything else that can be connected such as chronic pain in Left Shoulder he's had for almost 40 years, Gout,and Depression. His Hypertension I believe can first then the Diabetes, but don't quote me because I would have to look back in records to see. He is obese and I attribute it to his left knee injury because he can't exercize, etc.

I hope this answers your questions. Please let me know what you think.

[Vike17]

Charlese,

As Jbaser stated you would need a IMO from a doctor to make the connections between these disabilities. Having said that, there isn't any medical litarture out there that supports a shoulder condition secondary to a knee condition, unless the knee gave out somehow and one subsequently fell on the shoulder causing some type of damage!!

As far as the right knee being caused by the left knee, this is actually pretty common because of the uneven gait involved, and VA see these claims quite often. Regradless of this though, you still need an IMO to make the nexus.

With reference to the gout, did your husband have this while on active duty?? was he clinically diiagnosed with this or did he show specific symptoms of this while on active duty??? If he just showed sypmtoms of this while on active duty, they would have to be crystal clear for physician to make the connection to any current diagnosis (gout sometimes appears to be some other form of arthritis). There has been medical litrature that shows a nexus between lead exposure and the development of gout. Hypertention can also cause gout. There are also certain types of medication taken for other conditions that may cause gout. So if any of these pertain to your husband, he would also need an IMO to make the connection.

In order to be awarded service-connection for hypertension as secondary to DMII, the hypertention must have been diagnosed or at least have manifested itself for a possible diagnosis after the diagnosis of DMII.

Vike 17

[Charleese]

Hi Vike17.

His SMRs NPRC claims got burn up in 1973 fire. The only record he has is from Lackland Air Force Base whih tells about his left knee injury and that is about 3 pages. He has no other medical records except the ones from his primary doctor at that time and VA medical records which is years later. We have looked everywhere for his records but to no avail.