Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left shoulder osteoarthritis and dislocation, as well as his dental trauma and nerve damage to teeth 7-10. The reasons include the need for more contemporaneous examinations of the Veteran's shoulder conditions and new VA opinions on his dental condition.

The Board has found that additional development is needed for the Veteran's cervical spine and upper extremity radiculopathy disabilities due to assertions of worsening, as well as the fact that the Veteran did not endorse flare-ups at the May 2021 examination but has endorsed them since. The TDIU claim will also be deferred.

The Board has determined that there are outstanding VA and non-VA treatment records, as well as service treatment records, which need to be obtained in order to make a determination on the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative joint/disc disease of the lumbosacral spine and osteoarthritis of the left knee. The Board also found that the previous VA opinions were deficient and requested addendum opinions from an appropriate examiner.

The Board denied service connection for right hand and wrist disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease. Service connection was granted for recognition of C.H. as the helpless child.

The Board has dismissed all appeals regarding ratings for right and left knee degenerative arthritis as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability, right shoulder and elbow disabilities (both secondary to the service-connected left shoulder disability), cervical spine disability, OSA, and tinnitus. The Veteran's current conditions are not considered service connected.,Service connection was denied for all issues except for tinnitus, which was granted.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his right hip replacement, bilateral knee osteoarthritis, and left shoulder impingement syndrome. The effective date for the award of a 10 percent rating for residuals, fracture transverse processes L3 and L4, right is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis and an initial 50 percent rating for PTSD. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury during combat, which led to his current conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to an incorrect standard used by the January 2022 examiner and a failure to discuss the impact of gait alterations caused by service-connected right ankle and foot disabilities on the Veteran's bilateral knee disability. The claim is being returned for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to April 11, 2019. Effective April 11, 2019, the Veteran is entitled to TDIU based solely on his left ankle disability and SMC for aid and attendance due to his service-connected left ankle disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, diabetes mellitus, lumbar spine osteoarthritis, lichenoid dermatitis, bilateral cataracts, and bilateral hearing loss, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to September 17, 2015.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left hip disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for left foot and left elbow disabilities, but the issues of service connection for other conditions remain pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral knee conditions have been rated at 10 percent each, and the Board is remanding for a new examination to assess any worsening of his disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial ratings for his left knee disabilities due to new evidence received after the last VA examination in October 2017, which included a total left knee arthroplasty. The Veteran is scheduled for further examinations to determine current severity of his conditions.

The Board denied an initial rating higher than 10 percent for left knee osteoarthritis, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion or arthritis.

The Veteran's lumbar osteoarthritis with IVDS is rated at 20 percent from September 5, 2017 to September 8, 2021 and 40 percent thereafter. The appeal for a higher rating remains pending as the evidence does not meet the criteria for an increased rating under the General Rating Formula or IVDS Formula.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine and lumbosacral strain, finding that there was no evidence showing a chronic condition in service or continuity of symptomatology since service. The Veteran's assertions about his back pain during service were not supported by contemporaneous medical records.

The Veteran is granted total disability ratings for all service-connected disabilities in combination prior to January 19, 2022 and a total rating based solely on his acquired psychiatric disorder from that date. He also receives SMC at the housebound rate starting from January 19, 2022.