Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral shoulder disorders due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their relationship to service. The Veteran's MOS as a postal worker and administrative clerk may have increased her risk of shoulder problems, but further clarification is needed on whether these conditions are related to her duties in service.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was granted a 40 percent rating for the period from June 24, 2019 to January 4, 2021. The disability is rated under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis of the neck and lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease due to lack of substantial compliance with prior remand directives. The VA is required to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded by the Board. The AOJ is directed to consider new evidence submitted since the August 2016 denial of his right knee disorder claim.

The Board has denied service connection for a bilateral knee disability and remanded the skin disability claim. The decision is final with respect to the denial of the knee disability, but the skin disability case must be returned for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is due to an in-service motor vehicle accident and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's left elbow disability, including degenerative arthritis and lateral epicondylitis, was rated at 20 percent since January 1, 2015. The appeal is denied as the criteria for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent have not been met.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral plantar fasciitis, bilateral pes cavus, and right foot osteoarthritis as these conditions did not manifest in active duty service or are otherwise attributable to service.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of right wrist tendonitis and remanded other claims due to the need for additional development.

The Board has granted service connection for left total knee replacement and remanded the issue of an increased rating for right knee osteoarthritis.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability was granted a 40 percent rating from September 26, 2016 to August 31, 2020.,Since September 1, 2020, the Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent.

The Board denied service connection for polyarthritis, finding that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of this condition and has never had it during or recent to the filing of his claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of vocational rehabilitation and functional capacity evaluations, which were not provided by a vocational rehabilitation counselor as directed in the previous August 2019 remand. The Veteran's service-connected conditions include posttraumatic stress disorder, right lower extremity radiculopathy, lumbosacral strain, right hip osteoarthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and several other disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a spine condition, including scoliosis, as there was no evidence of in-service incurrence or aggravation by pre-existing scoliosis. The examiner concluded that the Veteran’s mild scoliosis did not worsen during his military service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the merits have been dismissed due to withdrawal of appeal. The claims for reopening were granted, and new evidence was submitted in support of these claims.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient rationale in a previous VA opinion and the need for an addendum opinion from a different examiner.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions, including left wrist radiocarpal disease, right wrist radiocarpal disease, right wrist tendonitis, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), duodenitis, arthritis of the right foot, degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy. The Board found that these conditions are not related to service or any presumptive exposure basis.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and lumbar spine, but denied service connection for bilateral lung disability and bilateral upper/lower extremity radiculopathy. The decision is remanded for further development in the case of a bilateral eye disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for osteoarthritis of the left hip was granted with an effective date of September 30, 2013. The Board found that a formal diagnosis of arthritis did not occur until this date and thus determined that July 1, 2010, when she filed her initial claim, should be considered the effective date.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and opinion regarding service connection for cervical spine disorder, UTIs, and ear disorders. The Veteran's claims are based on direct evidence of injury during service.