Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings related to his right knee and thumb disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected right thumb laceration with sensory nerve injury is granted. The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the right knee is currently rated at 10 percent and remains unchanged.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal regarding the reduction in disability rating for prostate cancer and denied his request to restore SMC at the housebound rate due to lack of a single 100% rated disability.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, including recurrent dislocation and post arthroplasty with acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, is currently rated at 20%. The Board finds a new VA examination is needed to determine the current severity of his service-connected right shoulder disability.

The Veteran's chronic headaches have been granted service connection based on continuity of symptomatology since active service.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, has been denied as there is no evidence it was incurred during or within one year after the Veteran's completion of active service.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, bilateral knee disability, headaches, cardiac disease, and memory loss due to insufficient information in the record.,The Veteran's DM is being remanded as there was no consideration of his lifestyle and diet during service or exposure to environmental hazards while serving in Southwest Asia.,The Veteran's bilateral knee disability is being remanded because the examiner did not consider the February 1993 report indicating degenerative joint disease, nor the Veteran’s history of knee pain since service.,The Veteran's headaches are being remanded due to insufficient consideration of his reported history and March 2015 VA treatment record.,The Veteran's CAD is being remanded as there was no consideration of his lifestyle and diet during service or exposure to environmental hazards while serving in the Persian Gulf War.,The Veteran's memory loss is being remanded due to insufficient consideration of his other diagnosed conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and remanded the issues of rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral knee osteoarthritis.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right elbow disorder, finding that his preexisting right elbow fracture residuals were not aggravated by active service and that his current right elbow arthritis did not have onset in service or within one year of separation.,The heart issue is remanded to obtain an addendum opinion addressing all diagnosed heart disorders.

The Veteran's nonpainful residual scars of the left knee are currently rated as noncompensable.,The Veteran is seeking an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for a painful residual scar of the left knee, but this claim has been denied.,A rating of 20 percent for an unstable and painful residual scar of the left knee since June 21, 2019 has been granted.,The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the left knee with recurrent instability is currently rated at 10 percent.,A rating of 30 percent for degenerative arthritis of the left knee with recurrent instability since June 21, 2019 has been granted.,The Veteran's painful motion with flexion of the left knee prior to July 8, 2019 is rated at 10 percent and a separate noncompensable rating for degenerative arthritis of the left knee with limited extension since June 21, 2019 has been granted.,The Veteran's service connection claim does not involve any presumption or exposure basis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee disability, including medial collateral ligament strain and osteoarthritis, is presumed to have been incurred during service due to a traumatic incident in basic training.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability and TDIU claim are remanded for further evaluation, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his condition and additional functional loss due to pain.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and need for additional evidence. The claims include lumbar strain, degenerative joint disease of knees, osteoarthritis of shoulders, headaches, and memory loss.

The Board has denied service connection for right and left knee osteoarthritis as the evidence does not show that these conditions began during or were aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his right hip osteoarthritis was previously denied. The case is being remanded due to new evidence received since the last decision in March 2016.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine is granted as service connection due to in-service motor vehicle accident.,Service connection for fatigue due to an undiagnosed illness during active duty in Southwest Asia is granted. The Veteran has experienced continuous fatigue symptoms since service.,Residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are denied, with the opinion that memory loss is more likely related to posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative disc disease, degenerative arthritis, and intervertebral disc syndrome of the lumbar spine as secondary to service-connected pes planus, and right knee arthritis and left knee arthritis as secondary to service-connected pes planus.

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability, including bursitis, popliteal cyst, and degenerative arthritis. The evidence shows the Veteran had symptoms since service and his current conditions are related to an in-service injury.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for venous insufficiency and headaches, as well as the issue of increased initial ratings for lumbar spine multilevel degenerative disc and joint disease with bilateral sacroiliac joint osteoarthritis, impairment of the left and right thighs, limitation of extension of the left and right thighs, and limitation of flexion of the left and right thighs; and entitlement to a TDIU.,The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development including obtaining his Social Security Administration records and providing an addendum opinion regarding whether his headaches are at least as likely as not proximately due to his service-connected hypertension.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's pre-existing right knee disability was aggravated by service. The Veteran needs a new VA examination and authorization for private treatment records.