Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea, lordotic thoracolumbar spine with osteoarthritis and scoliosis, and sinusitis to allow for a new VA examination. The examiner will be asked to determine if these conditions are at least as likely as not related to service or due to a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's left knee disability is rated at 60 percent since November 1, 2021. His PTSD is rated at 100 percent effective July 27, 2022.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left knee osteoarthritis and right knee degenerative joint disease were denied. The effective date for the awards was not established.

The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus is denied as the evidence does not support a direct relationship to service.,The claims for left ankle and right ankle disabilities are denied due to lack of current diagnoses or established continuity of symptoms.,Service connection for left hand degenerative arthritis is denied because there is no persuasive evidence linking it to service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for left knee osteoarthritis with flexion impairment is granted, effective January 6, 2015.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a separate noncompensable rating for limitation of extension secondary to service-connected left knee osteoarthritis is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee strain and osteoarthritis, finding that there was no evidence of a relationship between his current disabilities and service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including depression, anxiety and PTSD, was denied. Service connection was granted for lumbar spine arthritis, cervical spine arthritis, right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy (secondary to cervical spine arthritis), right knee osteoarthritis, and left knee osteoarthritis and patellofemoral pain syndrome.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude her from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, thus the claim for TDIU was denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error in the claims file, which includes missing documents from July and August 2018. The Veteran's earlier effective date claim for right hip osteoarthritis awards is now pending.

The Board denied service connection for lumbosacral disorder and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, finding no current disability and insufficient evidence to link these conditions to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of his bilateral knee disabilities, finding that no claim was filed prior to January 2021.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for a higher rating for PTSD, and the cases were remanded for further evaluation of other conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for a lower back condition and bilateral lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy, both found to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected knee and foot conditions.

The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, DDD, and IVDS is granted a 20 percent rating effective March 21, 2023. The other issues are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, except for the periods when he was already receiving a TDIU.

The Board denied service connection for headaches, IVDS, and degenerative arthritis and spinal stenosis of the cervical spine due to lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or disease.

The Veteran's bilateral shoulder conditions were granted increased ratings of 40 percent for the left shoulder condition and 30 percent for the right shoulder condition effective March 18, 2019.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, spine, knee and left ankle conditions, prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's tension type headaches are granted a 50% rating. The left shoulder instability with history of rotator cuff is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. A noncompensable rating is granted for left shoulder scars. The low back disability, degenerative arthritis with IVDS, and radiculopathy in both lower extremities are all denied. Ratings in excess of 20% for left knee strain, right knee strain, hemorrhoids, and maxillary sinusitis are also denied. Service connection for sleep apnea is remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of increased ratings for service-connected knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations and a need for further evaluation.