Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.

The Veteran's children, D.T.P. and D.K.P., are not entitled to dependency benefits as they were over the age of 18 and did not meet the criteria for additional payment due to their school attendance or enrollment status.

The Board has remanded several service connection claims due to the need for additional development and evidence.,No effective date is assigned as no earlier claim was filed.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee strain and arthritis, right hip strain, left hip strain, and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. Service connection is denied for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine.

The Veteran's post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the left ankle is found to be related to service, and his tinnitus began during service.,The Veteran's right ankle disorder and left shoulder disorder are remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea was denied in a previous rating decision, but the Board has now granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The grant is based on aggravation of an already service-connected condition.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative osteoarthritis of the right knee, left knee, and lumbar spine. The Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, degenerative arthritis of the spine, hiatal hernia, degenerative arthritis of the left knee, and tendonitis of the right shoulder, rendered him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board granted a TDIU for the entire appeal period.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding service connection and aggravation of right knee disability by left knee disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and any in-service injury or event.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection on all four issues due to his withdrawal of those appeals prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's claims for initial ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations, treatment records review, and development of his case. The specific issues include pes planus (left foot), cervical spine disability, bilateral wrist, lumbar spine, bilateral ankle, bilateral hip, right ear hearing loss, sinus/rhinitis/nose bleeds, and dysentery and residuals of food poisoning.

The Board denied service connection for left and right knee disabilities, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses of degenerative arthritis did not meet the criteria for direct service connection due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between his in-service complaints or findings and his current conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of a right thigh injury is granted, while the claim for osteoarthritis of the right knee is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions render him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment, thus meeting the criteria for TDIU.

The Veteran's right knee degenerative arthritis is currently rated as 20 percent disabling, effective October 1, 2019. The Veteran's left knee degenerative arthritis is currently rated as 20 percent disabling, effective October 1, 2019.,Both knees are currently evaluated under Diagnostic Codes 5260 and 5261 for limitation of flexion and extension respectively.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral pes planus and left ankle degenerative arthritis due to insufficient examination opinions and potential outstanding private treatment records. The Veteran will need new examinations and possibly additional VA treatment records.

The Board has denied service connection for residuals of a left hand fracture and remanded the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's thalassemia trait, patellofemoral syndrome of the right knee, patellofemoral syndrome of the left knee, and left lower extremity radiculopathy are all service-connected. However, a rating in excess of 10 percent is denied for each condition except tinea versicolor which receives a 10% rating.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus is presumed to have been incurred in service due to herbicide exposure. Bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy and left shoulder disorder are also presumed to be related to his service-connected diabetes.,Service connection for Merkel cell carcinoma and kidney disorder secondary to type II diabetes mellitus remains pending as the Veteran has not provided sufficient evidence or information for a VA examination.