Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2022

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for his knee disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of a right eye disability incurred in service. The left knee and right knee issues remain under consideration.

The Veteran's right fifth finger disability is rated at 10 percent for degenerative arthritis, while the right upper eyelid status post cyst excision remains noncompensable.,The Veteran's service-connected right upper eyelid condition does not meet any criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis of the left and right hips, as secondary to his service-connected back disability. The remand is due to an inadequate etiology opinion in October 2021.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 50 percent for his right hip replacement, and remanded other issues related to his hips and knees.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of various knee and ankle disabilities, tinnitus, and right little finger arthritis have been denied as the earliest possible effective date is April 9, 2019.

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral nerve) are each rated at 20 percent, but no higher.,The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome is granted a disability rating of 40 percent.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and granted service connection for tinnitus. The Board found insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the Veteran's current degenerative arthritis and his period of service, but determined that there was at least equipoise in favor of finding a relationship between the Veteran's tinnitus and his military service.

The appeal is dismissed for the increased rating claims of right knee osteoarthritis, migraine headaches, status post fracture of the right ankle, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine osteoarthritis, right foot radiculopathy, and carpal tunnel syndrome. The appeals are remanded for further action on the remaining issues.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including ratings for radiculopathy of the lower extremities and degenerative arthritis with scoliosis of the thoracolumbar spine. The Veteran is also being asked to provide additional evidence or releases for any outstanding VA records.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes planus and osteoarthritis of the ankles result in a combined rating of 70 percent. The Board finds that these conditions do not prevent him from engaging in sedentary work, thus denying his TDIU claim.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left hip and right hip degenerative arthritis, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for right wrist sprain and osteoarthritis (OA) as these conditions are causally related to parachute jumps in service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including a new VA knee examination. The Veteran's right knee instability is now granted with an effective date of July 1, 2014.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left knee degenerative arthritis and instability due to inadequate reasons or bases in the previous decisions. The Veteran is required to be provided with a VA examination to assess his current severity of these conditions, including functional loss.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection and ratings related to his elbow injuries due to his death.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, thus his claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is denied.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for degenerative arthritis of the thoracic spine and cervicalgia have been withdrawn, resulting in their dismissal.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA). The VA examiner did not adequately address the Veteran's lay contentions about in-service injuries. A new examination is needed.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for osteoarthritis, a back disability, and headaches due to inadequate examinations in previous remands.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.