Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have met the percentage requirements for a TDIU since June 19, 2017 and prevent him from performing gainful employment.

The Veteran's bilateral knee conditions have not manifested with flexion limited to 30 degrees or less, or extension limited to 10 degrees or more at any point during the appeal period. As such, her initial rating requests for increased compensation are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability, including degenerative arthritis, DDD, and lumbar strain, based on continuous symptoms since service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on his knee and back conditions have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee disability, finding that new evidence received after a prior final denial supports the claim. The decision is based on the opinion of a private physician who concluded that the Veteran's current right knee disability is at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as the evidence does not support a finding that his current conditions are caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the issues of service connection for lumbar spine disorder, psychiatric disorder, nerve impingement of the legs, right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, and left foot disorder. The issues are inextricably intertwined with the issue of service connection for lumbar spine disorder.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for left knee degenerative arthritis, left knee instability, a right foot condition, and a skin condition of the right hand are being remanded due to an error in the VA treatment records considered at the time of the initial rating decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for ankylosis and degenerative arthritis of the right elbow, finding that it is not related to his service-connected right shoulder disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral foot, hearing loss, and left knee disabilities were not incurred during service. The low back disability was found to be related to service. The case is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for right hip trochanteric pain syndrome and right knee degenerative arthritis with meniscal tear residuals have been dismissed due to the Veteran's attorney withdrawing all pending appeals.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal at this time.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis, right knee degenerative arthritis, right medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints), and left medial tibial stress syndrome due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to obtain a clarifying opinion regarding the nature of the Veteran's bilateral knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee and left knee osteoarthritis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his in-service noise exposure and has persisted since service.,Hypercholesterolemia is not considered a disability for VA compensation purposes, thus the claim cannot be granted.,There is no current diagnosis of hemorrhoids or renal dysfunction. The Veteran's complaints are deemed subjective and self-reported without objective evidence supporting these conditions.,The Veteran has bilateral hearing loss, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, and nephrolithiasis which were diagnosed post-service but not related to service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded as the etiology of the condition remains unclear.,Service connection for cervical spine disability (degenerative arthritis) is remanded due to insufficient evidence linking the current condition to service.,Service connection for nephrolithiasis is remanded as there are no definitive diagnoses prior to the Veteran's claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a left ankle disability was denied due to lack of evidence linking the current condition to his military service. The right shoulder disability ratings were also denied as there is no evidence showing that the current conditions meet or exceed the required criteria for higher ratings.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to deficiencies in the examination reports, particularly regarding the requirements of Correia v. McDonald (2016). The Veteran's right knee disability is being evaluated based on direct service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records and an addendum VA medical opinion to determine if the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability is caused or aggravated by his service-connected right ankle disability.

The Veteran's right great toe hallux rigidus with arthritis is granted an initial 10 percent disability rating, effective from the date of decision.