Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2025

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, back and foot conditions, precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, bilateral neuropathy below the hips, and a skin disability.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for right knee degenerative arthritis with total knee replacement due to a lack of adequate medical evidence and procedural deficiencies.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine and intervertebral disc syndrome.

The Board denied service connection for left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis with AC osteoarthritis and remanded the claims for bilateral hand condition, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and erectile dysfunction.

The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves, with effective dates from March 15, 2013. The Board also granted a TDIU and DEA based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for right knee osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis status-post total left knee replacement, and residual scar of the left knee as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active service.

The Board denied service connection for both the left and right hip disabilities, diagnosed as osteoarthritis, finding no evidence linking them to any incident of service.

The Veteran's service-connected headaches were granted a rating of 50 percent, and she was also granted TDIU, DEA, and SMC for the period from March 27, 2017, to August 20, 2017.

The appeal for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for cervical spine disability was dismissed, and claims for increased ratings were denied.

The Board granted service connection for a neck injury, including degenerative arthritis, IVDS, spinal stenosis, and history of spinal fusion, based on the evidence showing chronicity since service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral shin splints and left knee osteoarthritis as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board remands the claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and entitlement to total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Board granted an effective date of February 25, 2025 for the award of service connection for degenerative disc disease thoracolumbar spine with degenerative arthritis, spinal stenosis, and levoscoliosis.

The Board granted earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection and ratings for various conditions, including PTSD, based on the Veteran's intent to file a claim submitted in February 2023.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of June 1, 1997, for the award of service connection for radiculopathy, left lower extremity, sciatic nerve.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities, as well as their corresponding foot conditions, but granted earlier effective dates for the 20 percent disability ratings.

The Board granted service connection for right hip osteoarthritis, left hip osteoarthritis, lumbar spine herniated disc, and bilateral flat feet (pes planus) as secondary to the Veteran's already service-connected bilateral knee and ankle disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date of June 7, 2023, for entitlement to service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and right ankle arthritis.

The Board finds that the Veteran is in need of personal care services for a minimum of six continuous months due to an inability to complete ADLs such as bathing, dressing himself, and toileting.