Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2006

The veteran's claimed conditions, including weight loss and degenerative arthritis of the right knee with torn medial meniscus, were not found to be service-connected.

The Board has determined that the veteran's osteoarthritis of the right and left hips began during active service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current degenerative arthritis of the knees, hips, and hypertension were not incurred in or aggravated by her military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral ankle disability, finding that there was no evidence linking his current conditions to service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to determine the current severity of his right shoulder disability and hearing loss, as well as whether these conditions are related to service.

The VA has granted a 10 percent evaluation for osteoarthritis of the right knee, effective from the date of this decision. Additionally, a separate 10 percent evaluation is assigned for degenerative changes in the same joint.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left hip disorder was not incurred in or aggravated during active service, and there is no evidence to support a presumption of service connection. The VA examiner found no causal link between the current left hip disorder and the veteran's military service.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for lumbosacral degenerative joint and disc disease with mild wedge compression fracture of T12 was granted, but the appeal regarding service connection for a cervical spine disorder is still pending.

The VA Board found that the appellant does not have any lumbar spine bone or disc disorder attributable to his active military service.

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

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected left knee disability, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on limitation of motion or arthritis.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not suffer from traumatic arthritis of the left foot which can be related to his period of service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board finds that the veteran's left knee disorder is proximately due to his service-connected right knee disorder and grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran is attempting to reopen claims for service connection for a back injury, osteoarthritis of both knees, and tuberculosis with asthma. The case must be remanded due to the failure to provide timely VCAA notice.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to ensure the veteran's claims are evaluated under both the previous and revised rating criteria for his service-connected low back and right ankle disabilities, as amended in September 2002 and September 2003. The RO must also obtain any outstanding medical records and schedule the veteran for appropriate VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case to allow for additional development, including obtaining medical records and corroborating the appellant's assertions regarding his status as a combat veteran in Vietnam.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left knee disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis, warrants a 20 percent rating but not higher. The claim for an increased rating is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the neck and residuals of a cerebral concussion manifested by headaches, finding that his conditions did not warrant evaluations in excess of 20 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of fracture of the right second, third, and fourth metacarpals with mild osteoarthritis do not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent.