Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2007

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of hepatitis, residuals of frostbite, and degenerative arthritis of the knees due to lack of evidence showing a current disability related to military service.

The Board has determined that the appellant is not blind in both eyes, does not require nursing home care due to mental or physical incapacity, and her disabilities do not necessitate regular aid and attendance of another person on a regular basis. The appellant's conditions are deemed insufficient for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance.

The Board has determined that the veteran's low back disability is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected left knee disability. The right knee disability, however, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not related to a service-connected condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, degenerative arthritis, and chronic sinus disorder. The evidence did not support these claims as they were not related to his active military service.

The Board found that the veteran's left knee disability, post-operative total left knee arthroplasty, did not meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 30 percent due to its current status as stable with minimal range of motion impairment.

The Board has determined that the veteran's degenerative arthritis of the knees and herniated disc at L5/S1 are not related to his service-connected left ankle disability, and thus denied both claims for secondary service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current disabilities of pulmonary tuberculosis (PT), minimal, bilateral; degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine; and hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease with light cardiomegaly are not related to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right hip and left shoulder disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during service, and thus denied her claims for service connection.

The veteran's compression fracture of L3, with deformity and osteoarthritis, is currently rated at 30 percent disabling. The Board found that the disability does not warrant a higher rating based on the criteria for evaluating spine disabilities.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to independently perform daily functions of self-care and to protect himself from the hazards and dangers incident to his daily environment, warranting special monthly compensation based on need for regular aid and attendance.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for left knee chondrocalcinosis as secondary to service-connected left foot disabilities. The issue of whether these conditions are related to his service-connected left foot disabilities remains unresolved and requires further development.

The Board found no evidence of hearing loss at separation and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. For the left hip disability, the Board determined that there was no relationship between the current condition and military service.

The veteran's left hand disability, manifested by mild arthritis and loss of motion in the thumb, ring finger, and little finger, is rated at a non-compensable level. The Board has determined that an initial 10% rating for residuals of left hand crush injury is warranted based on limitation of motion.

The veteran's claim for higher initial ratings for his left knee disability was denied. The RO granted service connection and assigned a 10 percent rating effective January 1, 2003, which was later increased to 20 percent effective May 1, 2004.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for his service-connected traumatic residuals of the lumbar and thoracic spine with degenerative arthritis, as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left leg condition, to include degenerative arthritis, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not related to any in-service event. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including atherosclerotic heart disease, peptic ulcer disease, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, low back disorder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and emphysema. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by service.

The veteran's claim for special monthly pension on account of being housebound or in need of the aid and attendance of another person was denied as he does not meet the criteria for either benefit.

The veteran's appeal of the July 2002 decision has been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeals for these issues.

The Board has granted a combined rating of 20 percent for both knees, with separate ratings for limitation of motion (extension) in addition to recurrent subluxation or lateral instability.