Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2019

The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder, finding that the Veteran's current disability was not incurred in or related to his military service.

The Board has found that more development is necessary and the case is being remanded to obtain additional treatment records from the Veteran's orthopedic surgeon, Dr. T.M.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, and muscle weakness as there is no credible evidence of an in-service disease or injury that could be related to these conditions.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for right shoulder glenohumeral and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, status post shoulder arthroplasty, finding that the current 30 percent rating adequately compensates the Veteran's symptoms.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling additional examinations to address the Veteran's knee conditions and psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the neck and thoracolumbar spine was denied. The case is remanded due to insufficient evidence.,Service connection claims for rheumatoid arthritis of the bilateral feet and hands were also remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination and readjudication of his claims.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee condition, including degenerative arthritis, finding that it was caused by active service.

The Veteran's right knee brace causes wear and tear on his clothing, leading to holes and damage. The Board has granted a clothing allowance for the year 2017 based on this.

The Board has remanded three issues related to the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The main reasons are that VA examinations were conducted during a flare-up without providing necessary ranges of motion in both weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing circumstances.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and addressing the issues of increased rating for osteoarthrosis of the right hip and service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, left hip trochanteric pain syndrome, anxiety, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for a comprehensive VA examination to address his chronic shin splints and related disabilities of the lower extremities, including ankles, knees, and feet.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee disabilities due to incomplete examination and lack of consideration of functional loss during flare-ups.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection of his right shoulder and left knee disabilities have been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his claims prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain and/or secure substantially gainful employment, as his education and work history suggest he can perform sedentary or light work.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination. The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is found to be related to his service-connected cervical spine degenerative disc disease, and right ankle osteoarthritis is found to be related to playing soccer in service.

The Veteran's right knee is not manifested by ankylosis, dislocated semilunar cartilage or removal of semilunar cartilage, flexion actually or functionally limited to 30 degrees, extension actually or functionally limited to 10 degrees, or impairment of the tibia and fibula or genu recurvatum. As such, a rating higher than 10 percent for status post arthroscopic chondroplasty with osteoarthritis of the right knee is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee osteoarthritis and right knee tricompartmental osteoarthritis due to inadequate examination in October 2018. The examiner is asked to address whether these conditions are at least as likely as not aggravated by his service-connected low back disability.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for right wrist degenerative arthritis and TDIU prior to May 17, 2019 are being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining a VA opinion regarding his employment capacity and referring the TDIU claim to the Compensation Service Director for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's GERD is rated at 10 percent, but no higher. The cervical and lumbar spine disabilities are remanded for additional examinations to determine their severity.