Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's left ankle sprain is secondary or aggravated by his service-connected conditions. Additionally, the codesheet needs to be corrected to reflect the right ankle disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis, cervical spine as there is no evidence of a current disability that began during or was caused by military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of left and right ankle disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disability present during or within one year after service, and that any current disabilities were not caused by service.

The appeal of the issue of entitlement to service connection for a sleep condition is dismissed.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is rated at 40 percent, effective April 9, 2019. The Board has remanded the issue of a higher rating for further examination.,Service connection is granted for bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and IVDS have been denied. The claim for TDIU has also been dismissed as moot.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of a right hip condition due to insufficient evidence regarding whether obesity, caused or aggravated by service-connected disabilities, is an intermediate step between those disabilities and the Veteran's current right hip osteoarthritis.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU and SMC based on housebound status from August 19, 2019 due to his service-connected anxiety with depression associated with degenerative disc disease.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left and right ankle disabilities have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 10 percent from December 11, 2013 to June 7, 2021 for left ankle sprain with degenerative arthritis or a rating in excess of 20 percent thereafter.

The Veteran's left hip osteoarthritis resulted in limitation of extension limited to 30 degrees prior to January 9, 2020 and flexion limited to 80 degrees during the appeal period. From March 1, 2021, his hip replacement residuals were rated at 50 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for left and right knee degenerative arthritis, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service injuries.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate statements of reasons and bases, failure to provide a retrospective opinion addressing the nature and degree of the Veteran's right knee conditions, and failure to address whether a retrospective right knee examination was warranted.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and updated medical records.

The Board has identified new evidence added to the claims file since the September 2020 Supplemental Statement of the Case and has ordered that it be reviewed by the AOJ before readjudicating your claims.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU prior to February 11, 2022, as well as SMC based on aid and attendance are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and procedural steps.

The Veteran seeks earlier effective dates for increased ratings and service connection. The Board finds that no earlier effective date can be granted as the increase in disability is not factually ascertainable within one year prior to the claim.,The Veteran also seeks earlier effective dates for service connection of tinnitus, right carpal tunnel syndrome, and left carpal tunnel syndrome. The claims were previously denied but reopened on new evidence.

The Veteran's left knee disability, which includes posterolateral ligament reconstruction and osteoarthritis, is currently rated at 20 percent. The Board found that the current evaluation does not meet the criteria for an increased rating as there are no findings of actual or functional flexion limited to 15 degrees or less; actual or functional extension limited to 10 degrees or greater; a meniscus condition or removal of semilunar cartilage; ankylosis; or genu recurvatum.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction, hypertension, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, right and left tennis elbow, left shoulder arthritis, left hand neuropathy, right leg neuropathy, and left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome has been granted. The PACT Act expanded the presumptive exposure for hypertension to include veterans who were exposed to herbicide agents during service in Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetic retinopathy and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine due to lack of evidence establishing a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder is a result of his service-connected bilateral knee conditions.