Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2005

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorder, degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine (secondary to left thigh disorder), rosacea, and blepharitis and trichiasis in both eyes. The claim for service connection for a left hip disorder was also denied.

The Board found that the veteran's left knee disorder is not related to service or a service-connected disability, and denied his claim.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's right knee instability due to degenerative arthritis has been rated at 10 percent since June 1, 2001.

The veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and left hip are not service-connected. However, his atherosclerotic heart disease to include hypertension is considered incurred in service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee instability does not warrant a rating higher than 20 percent, and his osteoarthritis of the left knee does not warrant an initial rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a right knee disability, left knee disability, psychiatric disability, chronic headaches, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar and thoracic spine with disc protrusion at L5-S1 level and osteoporosis, costochondritis, and bilateral hearing loss. The initial evaluations were all 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for osteoarthritis of the hands and fingers, right foot, and neck due to lack of evidence during or after service.

The veteran's claims for higher evaluations for his bilateral knee disabilities, left knee degenerative arthritis, and right knee instability were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for increased ratings.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right knee, finding that there is no evidence linking his current condition to an in-service injury or event.

The Board denied an increased rating for osteoarthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, finding that there was no evidence of ankylosis or intervertebral disc syndrome to warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for secondary service connection for his bilateral hip disorder, finding that there was no relationship between his service-connected left knee disorder and his bilateral hip disorder.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the hips, back, knees, and fingers due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions are related to his military service.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his left shoulder disability is being remanded due to the need for a more recent VA examination.

The veteran's application for Service Disabled Veterans' Insurance (RH) was denied because he did not meet the standard of 'good health,' as his nonservice-connected disabilities, including arthritis and obesity, exceeded the allowed threshold.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and left elbow disabilities, finding no evidence of a direct relationship to military service.

The Board found that the veteran's low back disability, including degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbar spine, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The preponderance of medical evidence is against a finding that his current low back disability is related to his service-connected lymphadenitis.

The Board has determined that the veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his osteoarthritis of the right and left knees, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 20 percent for the right knee.

The Board denied an initial rating higher than 20 percent for the postoperative residuals of the anterior cruciate ligament repair of the left knee, finding that the veteran's impairment was no more than moderate.