Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claims for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's service-connected left knee disability and for service connection for a right knee disability secondary to his service-connected left knee disability due to pre-decisional errors, including inadequate medical examinations and missing relevant records.

The Board denied a rating greater than 20 percent for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with IVDS and spinal stenosis but granted the reinstatement of a 20 percent rating for left lower extremity (LLE) sciatic radiculopathy and right lower extremity (RLE) sciatic radiculopathy, effective May 3, 2025.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, neurological impairments of the upper extremities, and dismissed the TDIU claim as moot.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, and right shoulder impingement syndrome due to a lack of evidence showing current disabilities meeting VA criteria.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, right fifth metacarpal disability, and chronic headaches.

The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for increased ratings, service connection, and TDIU due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to her service-connected disabilities, as the evidence demonstrated she was unable to obtain and maintain gainful employment.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for her right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings.

The Board granted earlier effective dates for the grants of a noncompensable disability rating for left hip limitation of extension, a 20 percent disability rating for left hip limitation of flexion, and a 20 percent disability rating for left hip degenerative arthritis, but denied an earlier effective date for service connection for a painful right hip scar.

The Board granted service connection for left knee osteoarthritis and right knee osteoarthritis, secondary to the service-connected left knee disability. The claims for hypertension, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus type II, and polyneuropathy were remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral strain, and spinal stenosis based on the Veteran's in-service back injury and chronicity of symptoms.

The Board granted service connection for plantar fasciitis on the right and left foot, left and right ankle strain, left and right knee osteoarthritis, and left and right hip strain, all secondary to service-connected back and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities with weight gain/obesity as an intermediate step.

The Board remands the claims for a back disability rating and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities for further development, specifically to determine the severity of the Veteran's low back symptoms while discounting the ameliorative effects of medication.

The appeals related to the reduction of ratings and duty to assist errors for right knee conditions were dismissed due to procedural issues.

The Board denied ratings in excess of 30 percent for bilateral foot disability, a rating in excess of 30 percent for left knee disability, and a rating in excess of 10 percent for lung disability. However, it granted an effective date of December 17, 2012, but no earlier, for the award service connection for limitation of extension of the left knee and left knee scar, and granted TDIU from January 17, 2013 to November 5, 2018.

The Board granted an initial rating of 10 percent for right and left knee strain with degenerative arthritis, but remanded the claims for separate ratings based on instability and/or locking.

The Board denied an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent from May 11, 2017 prior to February 29, 2024, and in excess of 40 percent from February 29, 2024 for a service-connected lumbar spine disability.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left ankle, right ankle, and left knee conditions due to a need for additional evidence through VA examinations.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, left shoulder strain, and osteoarthritis of the left hip status post left hip replacement based on a nexus to the Veteran's military service as a Navy SEAL.

The Board remands the claim for a lumbar spine disability to obtain a new medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and spondylosis was caused or aggravated by his service-connected left knee chondromalacia with strain.