Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's right knee instability is granted, with a rating of 20 percent effective January 23, 2019.,The Veteran's left knee instability is granted, with a rating of 20 percent effective January 23, 2019.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left knee disability, finding that there was not clear and unmistakable evidence of pre-existing conditions in service. The Board also found no current disability related to service or a service-connected condition.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee osteoarthritis. The claim for left knee degenerative joint disease is being remanded.,The Veteran's current right knee condition, including osteoarthritis, was found to be related to his in-service injury and subsequent surgeries.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and TBI have been granted service connection. Service connection for left ear hearing loss, headache disorder, lumbar spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, right shoulder disorder, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder has been denied.

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative arthritis was denied, and the effective date of service connection remains February 15, 2016.,Initial ratings of 40 percent were granted for left lower extremity radiculopathy with peripheral neuropathy and right lower extremity radiculopathy with peripheral neuropathy. The effective dates remain February 15, 2016.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating prior to January 3, 2020 for degenerative arthritis with IVDS and spinal stenosis was denied.,The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating beginning on January 3, 2020 for degenerative arthritis with IVDS and spinal stenosis was also denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for entitlement to increased disability ratings and a separate claim for a 10 percent evaluation based on multiple, noncompensable service-connected disabilities due to inadequate medical findings regarding range of motion loss during flare-ups. The Veteran's claims are inextricably intertwined with his increased rating claims.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine stenosis with degenerative arthritis and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) and spondylolisthesis, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are causally related to his military service.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of cervical spine and lumbar spine disabilities due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability, including lower back pain, lumbar degenerative disc disease and lumbar degenerative arthritis, finding that her symptoms are related to her active duty service.

The Veteran's left foot disability is remanded for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his current left foot conditions. The issues of service connection for left hip osteoarthritis and left ear disability are also remanded due to their inextricably intertwined relationship with the left foot disability.

The Veteran's initial rating for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with multilevel degenerative disc disease was denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher than 10 percent rating.,The Veteran's initial rating for left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis was also denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher than 20 percent rating.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left ankle, finding that it is related to his active-duty service.

The Veteran's neck disability, including degenerative arthritis and spondylosis, was incurred in service. The Board granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for a retroactive payment of VA disability compensation benefits due to changes in the rating assigned to right upper extremity radiculopathy (RUER) associated with cervical spine degenerative arthritis is being remanded. The decision will involve obtaining an audit report or generating one if it has not been made.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left thigh lipoma, left ear hearing loss, and right foot plantar fasciitis were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not reach a level of equipoise in favor of granting any of these claims.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee condition, left knee condition, and allergies as there is no evidence of a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right lower extremity is rated at 10 percent, which was reduced from 20 percent. The ratings for DDD other than with IVDS and status post laminectomy L4-L5 of spine and right hip degenerative arthritis (thigh, impairment of) are not restored.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right knee osteoarthritis, finding that there was no causal relationship between his current conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for various conditions due to inadequate VA opinions and potential duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's claim for hepatosplenomegaly is denied as there is no evidence of this condition during or near the pendency of his appeal.