Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the cases of the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right foot, left foot, and multiple sclerosis (MS) due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions based on his active duty for training from July 1973 to September 1973.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral lower extremity arthritis and a right knee disability have been remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the back was granted a disability rating of 40 percent, effective from March 10, 2021.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral knee osteoarthritis and instability, likely preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation as of August 30, 2018. Prior to this date, the disabilities did not prevent employment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a new VA orthopedic examination to evaluate the severity of the Veteran's service-connected right and left knee disabilities under the revised criteria effective February 7, 2021.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to lack of new and relevant service department records, resulting in a denial.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to June 17, 2010 was denied as his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.,On August 13, 2015, the Veteran's TDIU claim from that date forward was also denied because none of his service-connected conditions (other than adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood) on their own or collectively met the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude her from securing and following any substantially gainful employment prior to January 13, 2018.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's right knee disability is related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic lumbar strain and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine are related to his service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to inadequate examination reports and incomplete information.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected lumbar spine disability was denied, and the Board also denied entitlement to TDIU prior to August 29, 2006.

The Veteran's thoracolumbar osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease rating is being remanded for further review of the evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to outstanding VA and private treatment records not being obtained.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his lumbosacral spine disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 20 percent prior to December 29, 2020 and 40 percent thereafter from December 29, 2020.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation before November 26, 2018. His TDIU is granted for this period.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability, as secondary to his service-connected right foot disability and for direct service connection. The case will be returned to the RO for further development.

The Board denied service connection for left knee osteoarthritis and right foot disability (claimed as right ankle disability) due to a lack of evidence showing that these conditions began during active service, were related to in-service injuries or diseases, or had continuity of symptoms since service.,While the Veteran reported experiencing knee pain and ankle pain since service, his current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's left knee degenerative arthritis and residuals of total knee replacement are granted a 20 percent rating from February 23, 2018, through October 14, 2018, and a 30 percent rating from December 1, 2019. The right knee degenerative arthritis is granted a 20 percent rating from February 23, 2018, to February 3, 2019, with instability rated at 10 percent.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability as the evidence did not show it was incurred in or aggravated by active service.