Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2022

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his left arm disability, finding that there was no causal relationship between his current condition and his military service or a service-connected scar. The Board concluded that the Veteran's arthritis is due to normal wear and tear rather than any incident in service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability, finding that his current condition is at least as likely as not related to his active-duty service.

The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, effective from April 28, 2006.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right shoulder and bicep conditions as secondary to his service-connected right thigh shell fragment wound residuals, but denied service connection for his lumbar spine condition as secondary to his service-connected right thigh condition.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not prevent her from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment, as she is already in receipt of a combined 100% rating for the entire period on appeal.

The Veteran's disability ratings for right and left knee instability, as well as his right and left knee disabilities, have been restored to their previous levels effective August 1, 2021. The issues of entitlement to increased ratings for these conditions remain pending.

The Veteran's headaches are not service-connected, as they are considered a symptom of his service-connected PTSD.,Service connection is granted for moderate restrictive ventilation disorder (previously characterized as breathing problems), low back disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability.

The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the spine and intervertebral disc syndrome have been rated at 20 percent and 40 percent, respectively. The VA has denied higher ratings for these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee patellofemoral pain syndrome is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the previous VA examination. The Veteran needs a new examination to determine if any current back disorders are proximately due or the result of his service-connected bilateral knee disability, and whether they have been aggravated by it.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder, right bicep, and neck disabilities as secondary to lower extremity radiculopathy due to inadequate medical opinions regarding causation and aggravation.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for status post total right knee replacement as secondary to his service-connected internal derangement of left knee, status post revised total knee replacement.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral knee disabilities, finding no in-service disease or injury of the knees and insufficient evidence to establish a link between current disability and active service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error in the previous VA examination, which did not address all theories of service connection and potential aggravation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbosacral strain, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, and left knee disability due to inadequate reasoning in the VA examination reports. The examiner is instructed to provide a fully reasoned opinion addressing the Veteran's service connection claims based on his competent statements regarding in-service injuries.

The Veteran's claim for a separate rating for urinary incontinence as a neurological manifestation of his service-connected lumbosacral strain has been denied. The Board found that the medical evidence does not support a finding that the urinary incontinence is related to his back disability. For the TDIU claim, the Veteran meets the schedular criteria but fails to provide sufficient evidence regarding the economic component as detailed by VA regulations.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hip osteoarthritis as secondary to his service-connected knee disabilities, finding that the arthritis was caused or aggravated by these conditions.

The Board previously denied a higher rating for the Veteran's low back disability, but now remands the case due to potential functional loss equivalent to unfavorable ankylosis.

The Veteran's right and left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis are presumed related to his active-duty service.,The Veteran's neck disability, bilateral pes planus, sleep apnea, chronic hypersomnolence, chronic fatigue, chronic diarrhea, chronic memory loss, and mood disorder (due to an undiagnosed illness) may be due to exposure to environmental hazards during his Gulf War service.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an opinion regarding the Veteran's right foot disabilities, specifically his 2007 heel fracture and 2016 metatarsal fracture. The remand is due to the failure of the VA examiner to address these issues as per the May 2022 Board directive.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new examination to determine if his lumbosacral strain disability results in the functional equivalent of ankylosis.