Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2025

The Board remands the matter for additional development to ensure compliance with previous remand directives regarding the Veteran's lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran was granted a disability rating of 60 percent for his left knee replacement and 20 percent for left knee instability, effective June 1, 2022.

The Board denied service connection for a right leg disability, diagnosed as right knee osteoarthritis, finding no credible evidence linking the condition to military service.

The Board remands the issues for a new medical examination to address specific deficiencies in the previous VA examination report.

The Board granted service connection for left ankle osteoarthritis with tendinitis and tarsal tunnel syndrome, right ankle osteoarthritis, and an effective date of December 16, 2015, but no earlier, for the increased rating of 30 percent for bilateral pes planus with calluses.

The Board granted separate ratings of 20 percent for right knee meniscus tear and left knee meniscal fraying, while denying higher ratings for the service-connected bilateral knee degenerative arthritis.

The Board granted service connection for right foot pes planus as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right foot calcaneal spur and granted increased ratings for PTSD, right foot calcaneal spur, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine (including intervertebral disc syndrome, stenosis), left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, left lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve, and right lower extremity radiculopathy, femoral nerve.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings of the Veteran's service-connected wrist and shoulder disabilities to obtain new VA examinations to determine their current severity.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include alcohol use disorder, mood disorder, and anxiety disorder secondary to traumatic brain injury (TBI), but denied service connection for right ear hearing loss, a left eye condition, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, spondylosis, and bilateral wrist tendonitis.

The Board remands the veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU due to outstanding SSA disability benefit records.

The Board granted an effective date of April 7, 2008, for the award of service connection for cervical spine degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, and left lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for a sleep disorder, low back disability, and left lower extremity disability to ensure that VA's duty to assist is properly fulfilled.

The Board granted service connection for a back disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability. The claims for service connection for left ankle joint pain, right ankle joint pain, increased rating for bilateral pes planus, heart disability, and earlier effective date were remanded.

The Board remands the claim for a new opinion considering the Veteran's lay statements, as the previous VA examination and opinion were found inadequate.

The Board remands the claims for a VA examination to determine the nature and likely etiology of the Veteran's gastrointestinal disorder, to include irritable bowel syndrome with chronic constipation, and left knee disorder, to include joint patellofemoral osteoarthritis.

The Board granted service connection for status post arthroplasty, left knee; right knee degenerative arthritis; and a low back disability, with an effective date of January 28, 2019.

The Board granted service connection for the right foot condition and denied an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for the lumbar spine condition, while remanding the claim for a right ankle injury.

The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disorder for new VA examinations to address the Veteran's lay reports of back pain since service and the inaccuracies in previous medical opinions.

The Board restored a 40 percent disability rating for the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the spine, effective March 25, 2021, and denied an evaluation in excess of 40 percent.

The Board granted service connection for GERD, a right knee disability, a right wrist disability, a right ankle disability, gastritis, and vertigo. It denied service connection for hearing loss and left knee osteoarthritis ratings.