Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the claims for additional VA medical opinions to determine if the Veteran's current disabilities of the hips, shoulders, knees, and cervical spine are related to his active service.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and rating determinations have been dismissed due to the Veteran's request for withdrawal of these issues.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right hip disability, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his active duty service or any service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for blurred vision, fatigue, left hip degenerative arthritis, right hip degenerative arthritis, and obstructive sleep apnea.,New evidence received after the March 2020 rating decision did not provide new theories of entitlement or relevant information.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions provided prior to the AOJ decision. The Veteran's right knee and bilateral shoulder disorders are being examined again to determine if they are related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, as he is limited to sedentary work due to his foot and knee conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee and right foot osteoarthritis, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions had their onset in service.

The Veteran's back disability and sciatica are granted as service-connected.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left knee disability, specifically whether it is related to service or secondary to a previously service-connected condition.

The Veteran's initial rating for thoracic facet syndrome with degenerative arthritis was increased to 40 percent, but he appealed this decision. The Board has now remanded the case due to deficiencies in the VA examination and missing medical records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine and right shoulder disabilities were granted, but the effective dates are set to January 4, 2010. The claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability was denied as it did not meet the criteria for an increased rating.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to a failure to properly notify the Veteran of scheduled VA examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis but has remanded the issue of service connection for a respiratory disability, to include sinusitis and rhinitis.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding various disability ratings and other claims before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for left hip, right knee, and left knee disorders due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error in failing to obtain aggravation and direct service connection medical opinions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee degenerative arthritis, finding that the Veteran's in-service complaints of knee issues are related to his current diagnosis.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and an earlier effective date for his service-connected cervical spine, right knee, and left knee disabilities are being remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability and cervical radiculopathy are granted as service connected. The cervical radiculopathy is also granted as secondary to the cervical spine disability.

The Veteran's cervical spine condition is rated at 30 percent from April 29, 2016, to April 15, 2018, and from June 1, 2018, to March 18, 2019. The Board also granted entitlement to TDIU but denied it due to the Veteran not submitting a VA Form 21-8940.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.,An effective date prior to December 26, 2017, for the award of service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy is denied.