Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2019

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for an earlier effective date for service connection, a restoration of his 100% rating, and to reopen his claims for bilateral knee pain and osteoarthritis. The reduction in rating for squamous cell carcinoma was restored.

The Board has dismissed the appeal of service connection for acute urethritis due to gonococcus as the Veteran withdrew his request. The cases of bilateral hip disorder and degenerative arthritis are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's right knee condition has not met the criteria for a higher rating, while his left knee condition prior to June 16, 2017, also did not meet the criteria. The case is remanded due to issues with the left knee.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, characterized by recurrent dislocation and degenerative arthritis, has been rated at 20 percent since January 2014. The Board found that the evidence does not support a higher rating as the condition only limits motion to midway between the side and shoulder level.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate compliance with previous remands and needs further examination to determine if any low back disability is related to service or caused by other conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, specifically glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis post-surgical, is rated at a maximum of 20 percent under Diagnostic Code 5010. The Board has determined that the evidence supports an increase to a 30 percent rating based on limited range of motion.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are being remanded due to the inadequacy of a VA examination report and the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of a back disability due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran. However, the claim is denied as there is no medical evidence linking the current condition to service.

The Board has found that the VA records dating back to 1977 have not been fully obtained, and thus remanded for further development. The Veteran's service connection claims are being remanded due to incomplete evidence.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral knee disorder, finding that it is not related to his military service or any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome, right knee degenerative joint disease, left knee limitation of flexion, right ankle limitation of dorsiflexion, and left ankle osteoarthritis are all found to have begun during combat service in Vietnam. The Veteran is granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board denied a higher rating for the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, finding that they do not warrant ratings in excess of 10 percent.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a right knee condition due to inadequate examination and need for further development.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The remaining issues of service connection for right knee disability and evaluation of service-connected right shoulder strain are remanded due to need for additional development.

The Board denied service connection for a right upper arm condition and degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder, finding that there was no evidence of chronic symptoms or continuous symptoms after service separation. The Board also found that the current disability is not related to military service.

The Veteran's initial increased rating for anxiety disorder is denied, and his right hip replacement with osteoarthritis claim is remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's back condition, including degenerative disc disease and arthritis, has worsened since his last examination in November 2012. The Board finds that a new VA examination is needed to assess the current severity of these conditions.

The Veteran's right wrist ganglion cyst scar is not rated as compensable due to lack of instability or pain.,A distinct right wrist cyst was not incurred or aggravated during service, nor caused by a service-connected disability.,Service connection for a hand disorder (osteoarthritis and swelling) is remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for tinnitus, right leg disability, and left knee degenerative arthritis due to incomplete information and need for further examination.