Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's back disability, previously rated as lumbosacral spine, degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease, was increased to a 40 percent rating effective January 11, 2021. The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for this increase.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of right wrist osteoarthritis was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew their appeal before a decision could be made.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of right hip disorder due to new and relevant evidence. The Board also granted service connection as the current right hip disorder is related to a right hip injury during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left hip osteoarthritis, finding that it is not caused by or worsened by his service-connected left knee strain.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right knee and left shoulder disabilities due to inadequate VA medical opinions. The issues are now pending further development.

The Veteran's left knee degenerative arthritis with repaired meniscal tear is granted service connection. The issue of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) related to his service-connected asthma is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for a cervical disability is dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for his cervical disability was denied.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the spine is being remanded due to a duty to assist error and incomplete records. The Board suggests that the Veteran obtain and submit any medical records pertaining to his left knee.

The Veteran's back disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy are currently rated at 20 percent each. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.,The Veteran's back disability is rated under DC 5242, which requires forward flexion to be limited to 15 degrees or less. The December 2021 VA examination did not find such limitation and found no additional functional loss due to pain, fatigue, weakness, lack of endurance, or incoordination.,The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy is rated under DC 8512 for the minor extremity. The December 2021 VA examination did not find any evidence of severe incomplete paralysis and found no additional functional loss due to pain, fatigue, weakness, lack of endurance, or incoordination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder disability, finding no evidence linking her current condition to service or a service-connected disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability, including impingement syndrome, strain, rotator cuff tendonitis, and joint osteoarthritis, is related to an in-service injury or event. The Board found reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran, granting service connection for his right shoulder disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's left knee disorder and his in-service fracture. The Veteran is requested to provide an addendum opinion on whether his current diagnosis of left knee joint osteoarthritis is related to a service-connected condition or if it began during active service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were continuously appealed in the Legacy system since 2015, but he did not properly opt-in his concurrent Legacy appeal to the AMA system. As a result, he cannot utilize the effective date from the Legacy appeal stream.,The Board finds that AMA regulations do not permit the Veteran to utilize the September 2015 application date from the concurrent Legacy appeal stream.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right foot disability and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied. For the left foot conditions (Morton's neuroma, mastalgia, osteoarthritis), the Board found insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability is denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not show forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine limited to 30 degrees or less, which would be required for a higher rating.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions including right leg disability, left knee chondrocalcinosis, right foot osteoarthritis, left foot osteoarthritis, right hand osteoarthritis, and left hand osteoarthritis. The issues were all found to not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's current left knee disabilities, specifically whether they are related to his in-service chondromalacia patella and subsequent ruptured patellar tendon.

The Veteran's service connection for left shoulder dislocation with traumatic arthritis and right ankle degenerative arthritis was restored as both conditions are directly related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment from December 2019 to March 5, 2020. As of March 5, 2020, the Veteran received a combined total rating of 100%, making the TDIU issue moot.