Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ankle grade 2 chondral thinning with low grade sprain of CFL was granted, and an effective date of August 17, 2020, but no earlier, was established. The initial evaluation for the disability remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for MDD with anxious distress was denied. The appeal is REMANDED to obtain retrospective medical opinions regarding the severity of his left shoulder and bilateral knee disabilities at the time of January 2019 VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical strain with DDD, degenerative arthritis, and spinal stenosis is related to an in-service motor vehicle accident. The evidence supports this finding, including private medical opinions and lay statements from the Veteran.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU rating from January 19, 2019 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability including osteoarthritis and joint replacement, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to an in-service injury during basic training.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for left shoulder degenerative arthritis is remanded due to the inadequacy of the VA examination report, which may have related his current condition to psoriatic arthritis instead of degenerative arthritis.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal for scoliosis and osteoarthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, resulting in the dismissal of this case.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal before a decision was made.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to determine if he should receive an extension of his temporary total disability rating beyond January 1, 2024 due to convalescence following lumbar spine surgery. The case will be forwarded to the appropriate Veterans Service Center Manager for consideration.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has dismissed all appeals regarding service connection for tinnitus, increased ratings for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, and an increased rating for lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The Veteran withdrew his appeal through his authorized representative in August 2024.

The Veteran's disability ratings for Degenerative Arthritis of the Spine with IVDS and Radiculopathy of the Left Lower Extremity have been reinstated to their previous levels.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right knee osteoarthritis and acquired psychiatric disorder due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to clarify his diagnoses and determine if they are related to service.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for allergic rhinitis is denied.,Service connection for the low back disability and right shoulder osteoarthritis are both denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right knee osteoarthritis, hypertension, and allergic rhinitis are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to assess the severity of these conditions.,No effective date is provided as the appeal pertains to increased rating claims.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating of 20 percent for cervical spine degenerative arthritis prior to June 29, 2015 was granted. From that date onwards, a 30 percent rating is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including lumbar degenerative disc disease and bilateral pes planus, have not rendered him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment consistent with his education, training, and experience.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for back condition, secondary to left knee instability. The Veteran's private physician opined that his low back pain was a direct result of his service-connected left knee injury. However, the VA examiner found it less likely than not that the Veteran's back condition is related to his service-connected left knee instability.

The Veteran's service connection claim for right hand arthritis is denied as the evidence does not show a chronic disability in service or within the applicable presumptive period.,The Veteran's service connection claims for left hand arthritis and impotence (erectile dysfunction) are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for further medical examination and evaluation. The issues include respiratory, hip, arthritic, and cardiovascular disabilities.