Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's left knee disability, including limitation of extension and instability, is currently rated at 10 percent. The Board has remanded the case to further develop the record regarding a separate rating for semilunar cartilage disability.

The Veteran's claims for obstructive sleep apnea, left shoulder condition (arthritis), low back disability, migraine headaches, and cervical spine disability have all been granted. The appeals were decided on the merits of the evidence presented.

The Veteran's application to reopen the claim for service connection for a low back disability was granted. Service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and radiculopathy of the bilateral lower extremities were also granted. The claims for right and left knee disabilities are remanded.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 20 percent, and he was granted service connection for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The case has been remanded for additional development regarding the surgical scar.

The Veteran's right ear tympanosclerosis and left ear tympanosclerosis are both assigned noncompensable ratings, which is the maximum rating authorized under Diagnostic Code 6211.,The Veteran's back disability is rated at 10 percent based on forward flexion greater than 60 degrees but not greater than 85 degrees. The claim for a higher rating is denied.

The Veteran's character of discharge for the period from March 28, 1984 to April 3, 1989 is being remanded due to concerns about insanity at the time of misconduct.,The left knee meniscal tear with osteoarthritis claim is also being remanded as there are issues regarding causation and aggravation.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to incomplete opinion evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current back, right knee, and left knee disabilities are proximately due or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral pes planus with plantar fasciitis.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his left wrist was previously denied by the Board. The case is now remanded due to a lack of compliance with prior remand directives regarding range of motion testing.

The Veteran's left knee strain with osteoarthritis and patellofemoral syndrome is currently rated at 10 percent, but the evidence does not support a higher rating. The Veteran's left knee instability has been granted an increased rating to 20 percent.

The Board has determined that new evidence was received to warrant readjudicating the Veteran's claims for service connection. The claims are being remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms more nearly approximate the criteria for a 70 percent rating, warranting an increased rating.,Service connection for lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD) and degenerative arthritis is remanded due to insufficient evidence in the record.,The Veteran's current employment status does not affect his entitlement to service connection for DDD and degenerative arthritis.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back condition, including lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis. The evidence shows that the Veteran had an in-service injury to his lower back, which led to chronic symptoms continuing since discharge from active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed degenerative arthritis of the spine, to include chronic lower back pain and degenerative arthritis with facet arthropathy, is not causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service. Therefore, service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, and will now consider whether the Veteran's current right knee disabilities are related to service, including his parachute and air assault jumps.

The Board dismissed the appeals for proposed rating reductions because no adjudicative determination was made, and the Veteran later withdrew his disagreement.

The Veteran's right knee disability, characterized by painful or limited motion at times due to pain and other factors, but with full extension to 0 degrees and flexion to greater than 30 degrees, is rated as 10 percent disabling. A separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability effective August 23, 2027, has been granted.

The Veteran's claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, right knee degenerative osteoarthritis, left knee degenerative osteoarthritis, right shoulder strain, and left shoulder strain are denied as there is no evidence of a claim prior to July 18, 2022.,The Veteran's claim for migraines has been reopened due to new and relevant evidence. The claims will be readjudicated.

The Veteran's tinnitus and left hip osteoarthritis with osteoarthritis of the left hip are granted as service-connected. The hearing loss issue is remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's left knee brace, used to treat a service-connected disability, caused increased wear and tear on his pants at an increased rate compared to his right knee brace. The Board granted the clothing allowance for the left knee brace in 2020.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and right upper extremity radiculopathy, finding that no valid claim was submitted prior to September 4, 2020.