Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2022

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral shoulder and knee disorders, but granted service connection for cervical degenerative arthritis and DDD. The appeal is not about service connection at all in the case of a bilateral hip disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection, TDIU prior to February 6, 2020, and special adapted housing/special home adaptation grant are being remanded due to the need for additional development including medical examinations.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower back disability, finding that it is at least as likely as not incurred during his active duty service.

The Veteran's service-connected ALL treatment is found to be the cause of his chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), skin conditions with dermoid cysts, insomnia, degenerative arthritis, mechanical back pain, facet joint arthropathy, spondylosis, left knee disability, right knee disability, and right ankle disability.,The Veteran's service-connected ALL treatment is found to be the cause of his erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including low back and neck conditions, major depressive disorder, traumatic brain injury, and right foot hallux valgus with degenerative arthritis, have prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since September 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis is granted service connection as it began during service and continues to the present.,Service connection for an eye disability (refractive error) is denied as there are no current diagnoses of other eye disabilities.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted with a 10 percent rating. The issues of an increased rating for degenerative arthritis and hearing loss are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and granted. His bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus type II, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right shoulder osteoarthritis with strain, and back disability are all found to be related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for various conditions have been withdrawn and are dismissed.,Entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for chronic asthmatic bronchitis has not been met.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and GERD on the basis of direct service connection. The low back disability is found to have had its onset during active service, while GERD was aggravated by diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right elbow disability, lateral epicondylitis, degenerative arthritis of the right elbow, and right cubital tunnel syndrome due to lack of evidence showing a causal relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to delays in processing and incomplete medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to February 10, 2014 for service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity and TDIU were denied. The Board found that the earliest effective date was February 10, 2014.,The Veteran's claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance benefits was also denied as it should correspond to the effective dates for service connection claims.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease, left foot osteoarthritis with hallux valgus, and right foot osteoarthritis with hallux valgus. The Veteran's current disabilities are found to be related to his in-service duties.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records, including VA and non-VA treatment records. The examiner is also asked to assess the severity of his IVDS and determine if he has experienced incapacitating episodes.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for further development of his employment history and other relevant information.

The Veteran's initial disability ratings for right and left knee disabilities, including instability, are denied as the evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under current VA regulations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, status post anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is being remanded due to an inadequate opinion from a previous VA examiner. The Board requests another opinion to consider the Veteran's reported lay-observable neck symptoms during the 27-year period between 1979 and 2006.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate compliance with previous remand directives regarding obesity and its relation to the Veteran's knee disabilities. The case will be returned for further development.