Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's left knee disability, including loose bodies and osteochondral lesion, is rated at 40 percent effective June 15, 2009. He also received an extraschedular rating for his surgery.

The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including back, left knee, right knee, gastrointestinal issues, PTSD, and memory loss/Alzheimer's/dementia. The primary reason was the lack of a nexus between these conditions and active service.

The claim to reopen service connection for right knee disability is granted. The claims for increased ratings for left knee instability and osteoarthritis are denied, with the latter being remanded due to new evidence indicating ankylosis. The claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied. Service connection for acquired psychiatric disability and TDIU are also remanded.

The Board has determined that a new examination is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for left knee osteoarthritis and right knee meniscal tear with osteoarthritis, to include scars. The examiner must determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right leg condition was denied, and his increased rating claim for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine prior to September 16, 2019 was also denied. The Board found that there is no evidence linking current right leg cramps to in-service injuries or disease, and that the Veteran's current degenerative arthritis does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's osteoarthritis of the right and left knees is being remanded for further examination to assess current severity.

The Veteran's bilateral knee osteoarthritis and back condition are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's painful left elbow is denied as not having a current diagnosis related to service. ,The Veteran's residuals of decompression sickness are denied as there is no current diagnosis.

The Board denied service connection for a right ankle disability other than calcaneofibular ligament strain, degenerative arthritis, and resolved Achilles tendonitis. It also denied an initial rating higher than 10 percent for non-obstructive coronary artery disease prior to September 20, 2010 and an initial rating higher than 30 percent for the same condition from that date.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 20 percent for severe patellar dislocation starting from December 12, 2019. Prior to that date, his conditions were not rated higher.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for cervical degenerative arthritis prior to August 23, 2018, and in excess of 20 percent thereafter has been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance of another person, effective from the date of his death. The issue of entitlement to SMC on account of being housebound is considered moot due to the grant of the greater benefit.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for neck and back disabilities due to a lack of discussion regarding potentially favorable evidence from a 1970 VA examination.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings of her service-connected left knee disabilities were denied due to her failure to report for a scheduled VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his right knee degenerative arthritis was remanded due to the failure to consider recent VA-contracted examination results in the Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the left knee, finding that her current condition is related to her military service.

The Veteran's right knee disability and need for SMC are being remanded due to the need for a compliant VA examination.

The Board has remanded the cases for further evaluation due to failure of the Veteran to report for a VA examination. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the increased rating claims.

The Board has decided that a remand is necessary to obtain an examination for the Veteran's service-connected kyphosis with degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, due to inadequate previous examination. The case will be returned to the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and a TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected cervical spine, right knee, left knee, and right knee disorders. The VA will also obtain any outstanding medical records.