Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's lumbar spinal stenosis with degenerative arthritis has been granted an initial rating of 20 percent, effective September 28, 2019. The Board found that the evidence was at least evenly balanced to suggest that throughout the period on appeal, the Veteran’s lumbar spinal stenosis with degenerative arthritis manifested in forward flexion limited to 60 degrees or less, or muscle spasm resulting in abnormal gait or spinal contour.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate rationale in the VA opinion and failure to comply with remand directives. The Veteran's right elbow disability is being reviewed for service connection on both direct theory (no current diagnosis found) and secondary theory (right shoulder disability aggravation).

The Veteran's appeals regarding his service connection claims and rating for left eye disorder, left knee degenerative arthritis, and left knee instability have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left hip and left knee disabilities due to inadequate examinations, specifically regarding functional loss during flare-ups and after repetitive use. The VA is instructed to schedule new examinations to address these issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of a VA examination and treatment records, as well as insufficient etiology opinions regarding the Veteran's erectile dysfunction. The Veteran is service connected for hypertension and other conditions that may be related to his erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for traumatic brain injury is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.,The Veteran's claim for increased disability rating for thoracolumbar degenerative joint disease with degenerative disc disease at L4-S1 is denied as his disability does not meet or approximate criteria for a higher than 20 percent rating.,The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for left knee and right knee disabilities are denied as there is no evidence of the conditions warranting a higher than 10 percent rating.,A separate 10 percent disability rating is granted for slight lateral instability of the right knee from July 30, 2019.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and review due to incomplete compliance with previous instructions, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for left knee degenerative arthritis is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected disability.

The Veteran's initial rating claims for right shoulder strain, left shoulder strain, and right knee strain have been denied as the evidence does not show that any of these conditions warrant a higher rating.,Degenerative arthritis of the spine has also been denied as it did not meet the criteria for an increased rating.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus with hallux valgus and degenerative changes are currently rated at 30 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine and an acquired psychiatric disorder are both denied as secondary to service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's low back condition and its relationship to service. The Veteran contends that his current back issues are related to an injury he sustained while working on a flight line for B-52s during service, but there is conflicting medical evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left and right knee disabilities due to a lack of effective date determinations in the February 2015 rating decision. The Veteran is also requested to provide any outstanding VA treatment records.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with spondylolisthesis L5-S1.

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities from October 13, 2010, but no earlier. The TDIU is granted on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has granted service connection for right ankle osteoarthritis, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis and continuity of symptomatology since separation from service meet the criteria for direct service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and need for further development regarding service connection for a disability of the right hand and fingers, including consideration of cold exposure during service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to November 30, 2011. The Board denied his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU have been denied. The rating for osteoarthritis of the thoracolumbar spine with history of T-12 and L-1 compression fracture is denied, as are the claims for sciatic neuropathy of the right lower extremity prior to February 24, 2017 and left lower extremity prior to February 24, 2017. The rating for sciatic neuropathy of the right lower extremity since February 24, 2017 is denied, as are those for the left lower extremity.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck disability and his TDIU claim were both denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection for the cervical spine condition, as there was no credible evidence linking it to military service. For the TDIU claim, the Veteran’s combined disability rating was 10%, which is below the threshold required for a schedular TDIU determination.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date of September 8, 2010, for his service-connected bilateral foot disability. The decision states that there is no legal basis to grant an earlier effective date than October 7, 2010.