Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities due to a lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete examinations and unverified contact information. The issues include an increased rating for right wrist disability, service connection for a psychiatric disorder, and service connection for low libido/low testosterone and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to clarify the Veteran's diagnoses and determine if his disabilities are related to service. The appeal will be remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to inadequate VA examinations and to consider all applicable diagnostic codes. The Veteran's left and right knee conditions, as well as his right middle finger condition, are being reviewed.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate reasoning in a previous VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's back strain. The matter is now being reviewed for an addendum medical opinion.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees, finding that there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to service or any service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right hip disabilities are being remanded due to the inadequacy of a prior VA examination and the need for a retrospective medical evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis and lumbosacral strain, claimed as back sprain and low back strain, is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, claimed as chronic major depression and stress, is denied.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates prior to October 26, 2012, for the grants of service connection for TBI and migraine headaches were denied in a February 2020 Board decision. The Veteran did not appeal these decisions or file a supplemental claim with new and relevant evidence.,The Veteran's December 2022 VA Form 10182 Notice of Disagreement (NOD) does not set forth contended errors of fact or law in the February 2020 Board decision nor does it plead with particularity any such errors such that the NOD can be construed as either a motion for reconsideration or a motion to revise the Board's February 2020 decision.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates of service connection for patellofemoral pain syndrome and arthritis, right knee, with meniscal tear, and intervertebral disc syndrome and degenerative arthritis, lumbosacral spine (claimed as low back condition), were denied due to the lack of relevant official service department records that existed and had not been associated with the claims file when VA first decided the claim.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to correct an error in the pre-decisional duty to assist, and to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder scar does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating. The claims of increased ratings for left shoulder degenerative arthritis, external hemorrhoids, and entitlement to TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection due to a duty-to-assist error identified during higher-level review, specifically regarding post-service treatment records from Camp Pendleton.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's assertions of worsening symptoms or a nexus between his current conditions and service.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions related to his back disability have been denied. The low back disability is rated at 40 percent, effective November 16, 2022.

The Veteran's right ankle sprain with osteoarthritis prior to March 24, 2021 has not shown marked limited motion of the ankle (less than 5 degrees dorsiflexion or less than 10 degrees plantar flexion), thus a rating in excess of 10 percent is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left knee osteoarthritis due to outstanding treatment records not being obtained.

The Board has granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis on a direct basis, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his in-service parachute jumping duties. Service connection for a left leg disability was denied as there was no evidence of such a disability.

The Veteran's back brace and bilateral knee braces caused wear and tear to his clothing, specifically causing damage to shirts from the back brace and pants from the knee braces. The Board granted three annual clothing allowances for the 2021 calendar year based on this finding.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for her service-connected degenerative disc disease and arthritis of the lumbar spine from August 23, 2013, to October 6, 2021 is remanded due to inadequate development.