Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2024

Your claims for service connection for osteoarthritis of the right and left hips have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is granted. The Board also remanded the claims of entitlement to increased ratings for bilateral knee arthritis due to a lack of recent VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions and duty-to-assist errors.,Specifically, the VA examiners did not provide sufficient rationale for their conclusions regarding the nature and etiology of the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's disability ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and tension headaches were improperly reduced. The Board has reinstated these ratings to their original levels, effective August 1, 2022.

The Board has dismissed all pending appeals due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his claims prior to a final decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance (SMC A&A) due to a lack of evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities rendered him so nearly helpless as to require regular aid and attendance from another person.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error and needs an addendum opinion regarding whether the service-connected left knee disability aggravated the right knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for thoracolumbar strain with degenerative arthritis of the thoracic spine was denied, while he received a 10 percent evaluation for left hamstring strain.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for right and left knee osteoarthritis as there were inconsistencies in the examination report regarding instability, which is a critical issue. The Veteran will need further medical evaluation to determine the extent of his knee conditions.

The Veteran's left knee rating was restored to 20 percent effective May 1, 2020. The appeal for a higher rating remains denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability and left lower extremity radiculopathy are being remanded due to the need for additional examination and opinion regarding the extent of functional loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder was granted from February 12, 2021. The Board found no legal basis to grant an earlier effective date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches and left knee degenerative arthritis need further development due to a duty-to-assist error.

The Veteran's service-connected CAD likely prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since July 27, 1998. The Board granted a TDIU for this period.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a spine disorder and an eye disorder due to inadequate medical opinions regarding their etiology. The AOJ will consider any evidence submitted during the higher-level review process.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder and cervical spine, finding that there is no persuasive evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current right knee and left knee disabilities are not related to his military service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected mechanical lumbar spine strain status post lumbar disc arthroplasty with degenerative arthritis is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of a 40 percent rating for his service-connected mechanical lumbar spine strain status post lumbar disc arthroplasty with degenerative arthritis is also denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbar spine and bilateral hip disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating than 20 percent for the lumbar spine disability, and separate compensable ratings (10 percent) were assigned for each hip strain.

The Veteran's initial ratings for degenerative arthritis with other intervertebral disc displacement of the lumbosacral region, LLE radiculopathy affecting the femoral nerve, and LLE paresthesia meralgia have been denied as they do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under VA rating criteria.