Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, adjustment disorder, and major depressive disorder) and a right knee condition due to inadequate medical opinions and need for further development.

The Veteran was awarded a 70% rating for PTSD with Major Depressive Disorder effective March 29, 2017.,PTSD is currently rated at 70% disabling.

The Veteran was found to be unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, particularly PTSD, which prevented him from performing the physical demands of his job as a corrections officer. The TDIU is granted for the period from November 8, 2011 to May 1, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and orthopedic conditions, render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the combined effect of these disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right wrist, left wrist, and right foot conditions have been denied as the established schedular criteria adequately describe their functional impairment.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle disability, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease and no manifestation of symptoms during active duty. The Board also found that the current right ankle osteoarthritis did not pre-exist service.

The Board has denied service connection for the Veteran's right knee condition and remanded the issue of service connection for migraines as secondary to service-connected hypertension.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to pending issues with left knee disability, and requests an addendum VA opinion for right knee disability.

The Board has determined that additional examinations are needed for the Veteran's service-connected left knee and lumbosacral spine conditions due to inadequate previous evaluations. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to assess the current severity of his disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for service-connected asthma resulted in the grant of secondary service connection for right ankle osteoarthritis and scars of the right ankle, effective from September 14, 2006. The Veteran is seeking earlier effective dates for these determinations.,VA received a claim for TDIU on October 16, 2012, which was granted effective from that date due to the combined rating of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent from August 21, 2009 to August 10, 2017 and remains denied for a higher rating. The Veteran's degenerative arthritis with degenerative joint disease with mechanical low back pain and IVDS is rated at 40 percent on and after August 11, 2017. The Veteran's sciatic nerve involvement of the left lower extremity is rated at 20 percent.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left and right hands, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to in-service injuries or diseases. The claim for SMC based on need for aid and attendance was remanded due to incomplete documentation.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a lumbar condition and a sinus condition due to insufficient medical evidence. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations for these conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the spine and remanded his claims for service connection for a left shoulder disorder, a left arm disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD, anxiety and depression).

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left wrist sprain residuals and degenerative arthritis of the left wrist, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his in-service injury.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine and cervical spine conditions, finding that these conditions are related to his in-service motor vehicle accident.,The evidence shows a continuity of symptoms from the time of the in-service injury until present.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU rating prior to July 6, 2015, finding that his inability to secure and follow substantially gainful employment was not due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and development, including a lack of joint stability testing during the most recent VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hammer toe, bilateral foot degenerative arthritis, and bilateral plantar fasciitis, finding that there was no evidence of in-service aggravation or onset of these conditions.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to include obtaining Social Security Administration records, and these have been obtained. However, the Veteran's representative was not provided with the Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) due to an undelivered mail issue.