Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral knee disability due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of a left shoulder disability and an increased rating for pes planus, but granted an initial rating of 10 percent for hypertension. The decision also noted that the highest schedular rating available for bilateral pes planus was already assigned.

The decision is remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a new examination, including records from VA treatment since July 2018, private treatment from Dr. F., and right knee replacement surgery on October 1, 2018.

The Board has remanded several service connection claims for further development and examination, including those related to degenerative arthritis, diabetic retinopathy, hypertension, poor blood circulation, diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities.

The Board has remanded several issues, including the reopening of a claim for service connection for a neck condition and the increased rating for right shoulder osteoarthritis. Other claims are also being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's right middle and ring finger fractures are rated as noncompensable, but a compensable rating of 10% is granted due to painful motion. The cervical spine disability is not service-connected under Section 1151 because the proximate cause was an event reasonably foreseeable.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him incapable of securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to November 2, 2016. Therefore, the Board has granted entitlement to Total Disability Retirement based on Unemployability (TDIU) prior to that date.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current evidence of a hearing disability under the VA criteria. The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was not shown during service or within one year after separation, and his left ear hearing loss did not meet the VA criteria for a disability.,The Veteran's claim for higher rating for service-connected right shoulder disability prior to April 18, 2017 is remanded as there is no evidence of limitation of motion to shoulder level or midway between the side and shoulder level.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the spine is rated at 20 percent prior to April 11, 2018 and denied for higher ratings thereafter. Right lower extremity radiculopathy is separately rated at 10 percent. PTSD with parasomnia remains rated at 70 percent.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the left knee is related to an in-service injury and has been granted service connection.

The Board has denied service connection for right wrist disorder, unhealed left eye injury, unhealed right eye injury, COPD, and broken jaw residuals as these conditions are not shown to be related to active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee osteoarthritis and left ankle sprain, finding no evidence of a link to military service.,Service connection was not granted due to lack of medical nexus linking the current conditions to active duty.

The appeal has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's claim for a clothing allowance due to his use of back and knee braces is being remanded as the rationale provided did not adequately address the Veteran's statements regarding the nature of his braces. An examination will be conducted to determine if the braces are prescribed for service-connected disabilities and whether they cause wear on his clothes.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis and hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability. Service connection for a left hip disability is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further evaluation of his service-connected PTSD, back disability, and radiculopathy. The issues include increased ratings for PTSD and back disability, as well as the effective date for radiculopathy.

The Board has denied service connection for residuals of a left acromioclavicular separation and degeneration, finding that the current shoulder condition is not related to military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left foot and right foot osteoarthritis, finding that there was not a nexus between his current diagnosed conditions and his in-service injury or active duty service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection as his left shoulder condition is not shown to be related to his military service.