Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2023

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that his current condition is related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left knee, right knee, and bilateral foot disabilities as well as his claim for service connection for gout due to lack of current VA treatment records and uncompleted examinations.

The Veteran's back, left and right hip, and left and right knee conditions are granted service connection. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disorder has been reopened, and the case is remanded for further development. The left knee posttraumatic degenerative arthritis evaluation is also being remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted his claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

An effective date of January 19, 2017, is granted for service connection for RLE radiculopathy.,A disability rating of 40 percent for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and IVDS with scoliosis is granted from February 1, 2021, through July 25, 2023.,From July 26, 2023, a higher than 20 percent rating for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and IVDS with scoliosis is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination and a need for further analysis regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected left subcutaneous mastectomy with loss of pectoral muscle substance caused or aggravated his current left shoulder conditions.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to a service-connected psychiatric disorder, and denied service connection for left knee and right knee disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for right shoulder AC joint degenerative joint disease and cervical spine intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative arthritis, effective from September 16, 2006.,A rating of 10 percent was assigned for the Veteran's right ankle strain since July 17, 2015.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his service-connected left knee disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increased rating beyond the current 10 percent assigned under Diagnostic Code 5260.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for her lumbar para spinal muscle spasms (spinal condition) is denied.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for left knee limitation of extension is denied.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for symptomatic patellar tendonitis of the left knee with degenerative arthritis is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development regarding his service-connected cervical spine degenerative arthritis, right upper extremity radiculopathy, and left upper extremity radiculopathy.,A retrospective medical opinion is needed to determine the severity of the Veteran's service-connected right and left upper extremity radiculopathy (and their relation to additional diagnoses of right carpal tunnel syndrome and transverse myelitis).

The Veteran's claims for service connection of right foot, left foot, right knee, and left knee disorders have been denied as there is no evidence to support a nexus between the current conditions and service.

An effective date prior to March 9, 2018, for the grant of service connection for right knee degenerative arthritis is denied.,A rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee degenerative arthritis is denied.

The Veteran's initial increased rating for degenerative arthritis of the spine (claimed as back condition) is denied, with his case being remanded on other issues.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral pes cavus with osteoarthritis is granted a 50 percent disability rating from March 4, 2014 to September 13, 2019.

The Veteran's claims for right upper extremity and left upper extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy have been denied.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus has been granted a 20% rating effective October 28, 2019. The ratings for the left and right lower extremities diabetic neuropathies affecting the sciatic nerve are also granted with the same effective date.

Service connection for cellulitis of the right hip is granted. Service connection for osteoarthritis of the right hip and left hip remains pending as it was remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and requires a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's back condition is related to his service.

The Board has granted service connection for cellulitis of the right hip and remanded the issues regarding osteoarthritis of the right and left hips.