Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2001

The veteran's fatigue and migraine headaches are presumed to be due to an undiagnosed illness that developed during service. The left knee arthritis is also presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for traumatic bursitis of the right shoulder and degenerative arthritis of the thoracic spine, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The veteran's service connection claim for boils and abscesses is pending, as well as the issue of whether his 10 percent disability evaluation for traumatic osteoarthritis of the left ankle was proper. The RO must remand these issues due to new legal requirements under the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000.

The Board has determined that the appellant's service-connected residuals of a fracture and dislocation of the left hip, with degenerative arthritis, do not warrant an increased rating prior to March 10, 2000. The claim for myositis ossificans of the left gluteal muscle is also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease of the bilateral hips, and an initial 10 percent rating for service-connected lumbosacral strain.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected gunshot wounds of both feet with pes cavus and bunions is being remanded to the RO for further development, including obtaining medical records and conducting VA examinations.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a left hip disability has been reopened and is granted.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted as the evidence supports that it was incurred during active duty due to noise exposure.

The Board granted a 10 percent evaluation for the veteran's right knee disability, effective June 20, 2001. The appeal was denied as there is no evidence of service connection for a condition of unknown origin.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed disabilities are not related to his service in the Persian Gulf War, and thus does not warrant service connection under the provisions of Chapter 11 of Title 38, United States Code.

The Board finds that the initial 30 percent rating for degenerative disc disease, left (non-dominant) shoulder is proper based on limitation of motion. A separate 10 percent rating is assigned for a sharp, bony prominence posteriorly and laterally to the acromion which is painful.

The Board has determined that the veteran's osteoarthritis of the left hip did not begin in or is not aggravated by service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings of his right knee and hip disabilities, as well as his claim for PTSD service connection, were denied by the RO. The RO found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The veteran's long military service as an infantry officer is found to have led to the development of osteoarthritis of the left hip, which required a total hip replacement post-service. The Board granted service connection for this condition.

The veteran's appeal is for an increased rating for his service-connected low back disorder, which has been rated at 40 percent. The RO denied the claim and now requests further examination to determine if a higher rating of 60 percent is warranted based on pronounced low back disability.

The veteran's claim for service connection for leg pains as secondary to his service-connected low back pain with osteoarthritis was granted. His claims for increased ratings for schizophrenia and low back pain were also granted.

The veteran's disability, consisting of shrapnel wounds to the left lower lumbar area and right hip with degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis, is currently rated at 40 percent. The claim for a higher rating is denied.

The VA denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, currently rated at 20 percent.

The veteran's right ankle disorder has been reasonably shown to produce marked limited motion, but not ankylosis. The RO determined that a 20 percent disability rating was warranted for the residuals of a right ankle sprain with degenerative arthritis.

The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of a gunshot wound to the right leg with fracture of the tibia and arthritis of the right ankle with limitation of motion warrant a 40 percent disability rating, while his osteoarthritis of the left knee warrants a 20 percent disability rating.

The veteran's right knee disability, characterized by persistent pain, instability, and arthritis, has resulted in a pronounced functional impairment warranting a 40 percent rating.