Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2025

The Board granted service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis, sinusitis, and right ankle strain with limitation of motion and pain.

The Board granted service connection for right and left hip disabilities, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service marches carrying heavy equipment and making over 40 airborne jumps.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine with vertebral fracture, sciatica in both lower extremities, and left leg length discrepancy, but denied it for right leg length discrepancy.

The Board denied the veteran's appeal for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his lumbar spinal condition, including a status post T12 fracture with degenerative arthritis and anterior wedge fractures in the lower thoracic spine.

The Board granted a separate 20 percent rating for the left knee meniscal condition and denied ratings in excess of 10 percent for left knee strain with degenerative arthritis and an initial compensable rating for the nonpainful left knee scar.

The Board remands the appeal for service connection for a left knee disability to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors and obtain additional evidence.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to a compensable evaluation for degenerative arthritis of the right fifth metacarpal status post right fifth metacarpal fracture and entitlement to a compensable evaluation for status post right fourth metacarpal fracture due to an inadequate medical opinion.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for GERD was granted, but no earlier effective dates were granted for the other service connection claims.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The remaining issues related to the right ankle, lumbar spine, cervical spine, and pes planus were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied a 10 percent rating for multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities and remanded the claims of service connection for cervical spine, bilateral knees, acquired psychiatric condition, and sleep disorder.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's left ankle and left wrist disabilities as there was no evidence showing that these conditions had their onset during active duty or were otherwise related to his military service.

The appeal concerning the issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions and a total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is dismissed.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the service connection of PTSD, right and left shoulder disabilities, and neck disability, as well as higher ratings for these conditions and a TDIU.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's right knee disorder, to include ACL repair and osteoarthritis.

The Board granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and tinnitus. The claim for a right eye condition was denied.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for spinal stenosis with degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and a skin condition, to include eczema, as there were errors in the duty to assist that need correction.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection and increased ratings for various radiculopathies and cervical spine degenerative arthritis with IVDS.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection and increased ratings, granted restoration of a 20 percent rating for left knee osteoarthritis with limitation of extension, and remanded claims for service connection for varicose veins and an earlier effective date for DEA benefits.

The appeal for service connection for scoliosis of the spine was dismissed, and claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability (PTSD, other than persistent depressive disorder) and Type II diabetes mellitus were denied. Other claims were remanded.