Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2025

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and increased ratings, as well as remanded certain issues for further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as well as remanded several other claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various musculoskeletal conditions, including back, hip and knee disabilities.

The Board remands the matter for an adequate VA examination to determine the nature and severity of the Veteran's service-connected left ankle disability.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disability to include PTSD, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder as the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors were not verified and there was no competent evidence linking his current disabilities to active service.

The Board granted service connection for a left knee disability, to include left knee osteoarthritis, as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected total right knee replacement and granted a 60 percent rating for the service-connected total right knee replacement.

The Board granted service connection for headaches as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected back condition and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, but denied service connection for right hand carpal tunnel, left hand carpal tunnel, and a rating in excess of 40 percent for degenerative arthritis, intervertebral disc syndrome, and lumbar strain (back condition). The Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to a total individual disability rating based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board dismissed the claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis due to a concurrent election of administrative review options.

The Board granted earlier effective dates of January 13, 2021, for the assignment of a 50 percent evaluation for sinusitis, a 40 percent evaluation for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, and a 10 percent evaluation for left knee disability with instability (DC 5257). The claim for an earlier effective date than January 25, 2019, for the assignment of a 10 percent evaluation for left knee disability with limited flexion (DC 5260) was denied.

The appeal for increased ratings for the Veteran's left and right knee conditions was dismissed due to a concurrent election of administrative review options.

The Board denied increased disability ratings for the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, chronic left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, surgical scar of the lumbar spine, and tinnitus.

The appeal for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine was dismissed due to a procedural defect in the claims processing.

The Board granted service connection for left knee disability, diagnosed as left knee lateral meniscal tear/osteoarthritis.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disability, including degenerative arthritis and lumbar spine spondylolisthesis/spondylosis, as the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's current condition was incurred in or related to his military service.

The Board granted service connection for right elbow osteoarthritis and remanded the claims for higher ratings for left and right knee osteoarthritis.

The Board granted restoration of the 60 percent disability rating for total left knee replacement with degenerative arthritis and chondromalacia, granted a separate 10 percent rating for left knee instability, denied an increased rating in excess of 50 percent for cervicitis with dysplasia status post hysterectomy, granted earlier effective dates for service connection and DEA eligibility, and denied extensions of temporary total evaluations and SMC.

The Board granted service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis with chondromalacia patella, finding that the evidence was at least in approximate balance as to whether the condition was permanently aggravated by active military service.

The Board remands the claim for a new VA examination to address whether the January 2020 VA examination complied with Correia v. McDonald, and to obtain additional information regarding the severity of the left shoulder disability.

The Board granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, to include degenerative arthritis, based on continuity of symptomatology.

The Board remands the claims for further evidentiary development.