Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2020

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for his neck disorder, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to active duty service or any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder condition, right shoulder degenerative arthritis, and right leg condition have all been denied.,Service connection cannot be established as the evidence does not show a current disability or link to active duty service.

Your claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine and intervertebral disc syndrome has been granted, but as it was already granted in a previous rating decision, your appeal is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and the need for additional evidence.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for complex partial seizure disorder with osteoporosis, service connection for a cervical spine disability, and TDIU are remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Veteran's IHD, cervical spine degenerative arthritis and associated neck scars, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, and TDIU were granted effective January 27, 2017.,SMC at the housebound rate was not granted due to lack of additional service-connected disabilities independently ratable at 60% or more.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because her Notice of Disagreement (NOD) did not clearly identify the specific issues she wanted to appeal.

The Board has remanded three issues: service connection for skin cancer of the face due to Agent Orange exposure, service connection for allergies due to Agent Orange exposure, and service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine and IVDS. The Veteran's service treatment records are silent on any skin disabilities or back injuries. There is no current diagnosis of skin cancer, but his VA medical records show a history of a rash on his face. Service connection for allergies and degenerative arthritis due to Agent Orange exposure is remanded as there was not an examination assessing the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left fifth finger osteoarthritis, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder are granted. The Board found that the current disabilities are at least as likely as not related to service.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the bilateral shoulders and peripheral neuropathy of the left and right upper extremities (claimed as bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.,The Veteran's claims were based on his contention that his shoulder pain and CTS are secondary to his service-connected foot, knee, and back conditions and/or the use of assistive devices for such.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining an addendum opinion from the VA examiner to retrospectively assess the Veteran's lumbar spine disability from January 29, 2010, through October 21, 2019.

The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disability, degenerative arthritis of the spine and lumbar spondylosis, and right knee arthritis. The Veteran's current conditions are found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's left knee condition is not service-connected as it did not manifest during service or within a presumptive period, and continuity of symptomatology was not established.,The Veteran's mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy is service-connected as it is proximately due to his service-connected diabetes mellitus. Other vision conditions (ptosis and cataracts) are not service-connected.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a bilateral knee condition, cervical spine disability, thoracolumbar spine condition, and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, urothelial cancer, and skin cancer due to incomplete service records.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck disability, finding that his current condition is related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine and lumbosacral strain are found to be service-connected as they are related to his in-service injury, which he reported.

All appeals for increased ratings and initial compensable ratings have been withdrawn by the Veteran.,The Veteran has also withdrawn all appeals regarding effective date determinations.

The Board has dismissed the claims of service connection for left and right knee degenerative arthritis as they have been fully granted in a previous rating decision.

The Veteran was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities, which rendered him unemployable. His TDIU claim for substitution purposes is granted.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating on his left shoulder disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of more than 20 percent impairment, as the Veteran’s arm motion was limited to around 80 degrees from side to shoulder level. For the right shoulder and neck disabilities, the case is remanded for further examination and opinion. Service connection for hand and arm disabilities remains pending.