Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2012

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for left knee chondrocalcinosis with tricompartmental osteoarthritis, DJD is being remanded due to the need for further development of his current disability level.

The Board found no evidence to support the appellant's claim of service connection for a right hip disability, including osteoarthritis and a bone lesion. The appeal was denied as there is insufficient medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination and consideration of the submitted Social Security Administration (SSA) disability determination. The TDIU claim will also be reconsidered.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the left knee was not incurred or aggravated by service, including his service-connected right knee, right hip, and lumbar spine disabilities. The Board found no evidence to support a secondary relationship.

The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability does not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating as it is rated at 20% disabling and does not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities are rated at 10 percent each, resulting in a combined rating of 70 percent. The Board finds that the Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis, fatigue, fever, night sweats, chills, and numbness of the feet and hands. The appeals were decided on a direct basis without any presumption or secondary theory.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the extent of his service-connected disabilities' impact on his ability to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining copies of SSA records and ensuring all claims are properly addressed.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a left knee disorder that he contends is secondary to his service-connected right knee disorder. The case has been remanded for further development, including an addendum opinion from the examiner who conducted the May 2011 VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to provide an updated VA examination and adjudicate the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's lower back disorder is service-connected as secondary to his left ankle and right tibia and fibula disabilities. His traumatic arthritis of the left ankle has been rated at 20 percent, but he seeks a higher evaluation.,He was granted a compensable evaluation for healed fractures of the right tibia and fibula.

The Veteran's cervical spine arthritis was found to have become manifest within one year of separation from service, warranting presumptive service connection. Non-cervical spine arthritis was not shown until many years after service and is presumed to be unrelated to service.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a left femur fracture and migraine headaches as there was no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions and examinations for the Veteran's knee disabilities, as well as to obtain updated treatment records. The issues of service connection for left knee patellofemoral syndrome and an increased rating for right knee osteoarthritis are being returned to the RO for further action.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability but denied service connection for diabetes. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is related to his active military service, while his diabetes was not incurred in or aggravated by any incident of service.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's right knee disability was not found to warrant a higher initial rating from December 2, 2003, until April 22, 2008. From April 23, 2008, the disability did not meet criteria for an increased evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain prior to July 21, 2009.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute substantially to his death from congestive heart failure.