Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2003

The veteran's death was not caused by his own willful misconduct, and at the time of his death he was not in receipt of or entitled to receive compensation for a service-connected disability that was continuously rated totally disabling for 10 years immediately preceding death.

The veteran's initial claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The RO granted service connection for right knee internal derangement with osteoarthritis, effective August 31, 1998.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral ankle disorder, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis, is not secondary to his service-connected residuals of frozen feet.

The Board has denied an increased evaluation for right knee impairment with osteoarthritis, but the veteran's claim of service connection for residuals of iritis, defective vision is reopened due to new and material evidence. The current rating for the right knee condition remains at 30 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee osteochondromatosis and arthritis with arthroplasty and painful limitation of motion, as well as bilateral hip osteoarthritis and avascular necrosis. The decision also grants secondary service connection for left hip disability and right hip disability due to the service-connected left knee disability.

The veteran's left total knee replacement is rated at 30 percent, effective July 1, 2001. The appeal for a higher rating remains pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with sciatica, assigning an initial evaluation of 40 percent effective June 2001. The Board found that the overall level of impairment associated with the service-connected back disability most nearly approximates a 60 percent rating under pre-September 23, 2002 Diagnostic Code 5293 for intervertebral disc syndrome.

The Board found that the appellant's current degenerative arthritis of the right hip is related to a trauma he sustained while playing football in service, granting his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's traumatic osteoarthritis of both knees warrants a 10 percent disability rating, as there is no evidence of more severe impairment.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development due to the need for a VA examination and compliance with notification requirements.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the right knee and internal derangement of the left knee, as well as his attempt to reopen a claim for post-operative status herniated disc and arthritis of the low back. The decision also noted that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen this latter claim.

The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the left knee, osteoarthritis of the left elbow, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with left leg radiculopathy.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for additional dependency and indemnity compensation as of eight years prior to his death.

The VA denied ratings in excess of 10 percent for osteoarthritis of the right and left hips, finding that the veteran's hip disabilities do not meet criteria for higher evaluations based on limitation of motion or other diagnostic codes.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an evaluation higher than 40 percent from May 19, 1990 to October 6, 1993 for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.

The Board has ordered further development in the veteran's case, including obtaining medical records from VA Medical Center and Eisenhower Army Medical Center. The claim is being remanded for these records to be obtained.

The Board has ordered further development in your case, including obtaining hospital summaries of inpatient treatment for hearing loss and degenerative arthritis. The appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development.

The veteran's right knee conditions are currently rated at 10 percent each, and there is no new evidence to reopen the claims. The VA has not yet determined if the urethral condition warrants a rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's death was caused by his service-connected disabilities, specifically hepatitis C infection acquired from blood transfusions during surgeries for his service-connected conditions. As a result, the cause of the veteran's death is now considered service connected.

The Board has received notification from the appellant that they wish to withdraw their appeal, thus dismissing the case.