Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2020

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left thumb disorder, right ankle disorder, and right knee disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence of a current disability or a link to active service.,Specifically, the Board determined that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of a right ankle disorder or functional impairment of the right ankle at any time during the appeal period.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including a meniscal tear and osteoarthritis, is remanded for further development to obtain private treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a right knee disorder, including osteoarthritis as secondary to service-connected residuals of a left knee injury with degenerative changes due to issues related to obtaining a VA examination.

Service connection is granted for left hand and right hand osteoarthritis. Service connection remains in dispute for a left rib condition.

The Veteran's initial claim for a disability rating of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was granted from December 19, 2012 to September 29, 2019. The appeal is denied for any higher ratings after that date.

The Veteran's PTSD claim is dismissed as the appeal does not involve service connection.,Service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is granted based on in-service back complaints and current diagnosis.

The Board has remanded the claims for further medical etiology opinions to determine if the Veteran's current right and left knee disabilities are related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Board denied service connection for a lower back disability, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not related to his military service. Service connection was also denied for peripheral vascular disease as secondary to a lower back disorder due to lack of evidence linking it to service.,Service connection for osteoarthritis of the left knee was granted based on medical records showing the Veteran had symptoms since his in-service injury.

The Board vacated part of its April 8, 2020 decision that denied a higher rating for osteoarthritis of the left knee prior to September 3, 2013, and from that date. The appeal was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his legacy appeal.

The Veteran's right knee extension limitation is now rated at 20 percent effective September 4, 2014. His current rating for right knee instability remains at 30 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disorder following his May 2020 surgery.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is granted a rating of 20 percent, but no higher. The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is denied any increase in rating.

The Veteran's left ankle sprain with calcaneal spurs, Achilles tendonitis, and degenerative arthritis status-post ankle ligament reconstruction is rated at 20 percent, effective from the date of this decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The issues of entitlement to higher evaluations for service-connected knee disabilities are being addressed.

The Veteran's initial rating for degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees was denied, with a maximum 10 percent rating assigned.,Effective November 1, 2018, the Veteran received a 100 percent rating for his service-connected depressive disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and further development is required to determine if the Veteran's right shoulder condition was caused by or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's left knee strain with tendonitis and degenerative arthritis has been rated at 10 percent, while his chronic left ankle sprain with internal derangement is rated at 20 percent. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for right knee disorder and low back disorder.,The Veteran’s right knee condition was found to be unrelated to his service-connected left knee disability.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance or housebound is being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA contract examination of the left knee was not associated with the claims file until after the decision on appeal, which could affect the rating assigned.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for increased ratings and earlier effective dates in connection with lumbar spine strain, right shoulder rotator cuff tear and dislocation, and osteoarthritis.