Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2003

The veteran's right foot injury residuals are more nearly reflective of severe injury, warranting a 30 percent rating.

The Board has granted service connection for disability of the muscles of the right front of the neck as secondary to the veteran's service-connected residuals of a shrapnel wound to the right shoulder. The Board also found that degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis are not related to the service-connected injury.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral pes planus and assigned a noncompensable evaluation, effective February 18, 1997. The RO later increased the evaluation to 10 percent effective November 2, 1999. The veteran's claim for higher evaluations was denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to August 12, 1993 due to lack of evidence showing he was unemployable at that time.

The veteran's postoperative residuals of hypermotility of the bilateral temporal mandibular joints are currently rated as 20 percent disabling. The Board finds service connection for fibromyalgia/myofascial pain syndrome secondary to his service-connected disability is warranted. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knees were not shown in active service or within a year thereafter, and are not currently shown.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left hip replacement, right hip arthritis, and bilateral ankle arthritis are all related to service.

The Board has found that the veteran's current right and left shoulder disabilities of chronic bursitis with osteoarthritis are etiologically related to in-service bilateral shoulder injury, thus granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a TDIU rating due to his service-connected right knee disability, finding that it did not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for eczematous dermatitis and polyarthritis, finding that there was no direct or proximate causation of these conditions due to his service-connected thyroid cancer. The VA also found that the veteran did not have a current diagnosis of arthritis related to his service-connected thyroid cancer.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in loss of use of both feet, meeting the criteria for special monthly compensation based on loss or loss of use of both feet. The veteran is also eligible for financial assistance in purchasing an automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis of the left knee and a right knee disorder, both claimed as secondary to his service-connected residuals of a left ankle injury.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board had no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The veteran's left shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent, and his left knee disability is rated at 10 percent. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for either condition.,The veteran was denied entitlement to a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the veteran's traumatic osteoarthritis of the base of the left first metacarpal, effective January 1997.

The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the service-connected bursitis of the right elbow, effective from the date of the May 1995 claim. The decision also addressed whether an extraschedular rating was warranted and concluded that it was not.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical musculature damage as secondary to the veteran's in-service shell fragment wound, but denied service connection for localized degenerative arthritis around C-1. The issue of an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for scars of the neck and back of head with retained foreign body is remanded due to a pending NOD.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his knee conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's back disability, including osteoarthritis, was not incurred or aggravated by his military service and denied his claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher disability evaluations for his service-connected post traumatic osteoarthritis of the left shoulder with a history of recurrent dislocation. The claim for CUE in the November 1966 rating decision was also denied.