Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2022

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lower extremity conditions, including degenerative arthritis of the feet and PVD of the lower extremities, were incurred in service due to frostbite injury. As a result, the claims for service connection are granted.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for right knee dislocated semilunar cartilage is granted, while his claims for left knee dislocated semilunar cartilage and instability, as well as right knee degenerative arthritis, are denied.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee condition, left knee condition, and respiratory condition due to asbestos. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder (other than schizophrenia) was granted.,Service connection for the right and left knee conditions is not supported by evidence of record.

The Board has identified duty to assist errors in the Veteran's claims and requires new VA examinations for her bilateral knee disabilities. The case is remanded for these actions.

The Board has granted service connection for sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, pseudofolliculitis barbae, an acquired psychiatric disorder (adjustment disorder, anxiety, and depression), and lumbar spine osteoarthritis. The criteria for direct service connection have been met in all cases.

The Board denied service connection for a right ankle condition, left shoulder condition, and neck condition as there is no persuasive evidence that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to in-service injuries.,The VA examiners provided negative opinions regarding the nexus between current diagnoses of right ankle, left shoulder, and neck conditions and the Veteran's active service.

The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve. The case is remanded to determine if a higher rating is warranted for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.

The Board has remanded the claim for increased rating for IVDS with lumbar degenerative arthritis due to incomplete records and lack of compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran's appeal of his initial rating for service-connected lumbar spine disability was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings are being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The issues include osteoporosis of the hands, wrist osteoarthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ankle osteoarthritis and granted it, finding that new evidence received since the last denial shows a current diagnosis of osteoarthritis. However, the Board also found that there is no causal link between the Veteran's in-service injury and his current condition.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for left ankle degenerative arthritis with residuals, status post joint fusion and ankylosis have been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for all issues, including those related to SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ, service connection for right knee joint osteoarthritis, and chronic venous abnormality. The Board dismissed the appeals as a result.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle disability due to inadequate examination and missing treatment records. The case is returned to the Board for further review, including an adequate VA examination.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his bilateral foot disability was denied as the evidence did not show that the condition manifested as severe bilateral flatfoot during the period from July 10, 2012 to November 19, 2020.

The Board has denied service connection for osteoarthritis of the back, right knee osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension as they are not shown to be related to military service.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis, as well as migraine headaches. The evidence is in equipoise regarding whether these conditions originated during active service.

The Veteran's neck condition is granted service connection, but his bilateral ankle and hip disabilities are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the right wrist is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess its current severity.

The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine and sacroiliac joints, but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete records.