Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2025

The Board remands the claim for a supplemental medical opinion to address the Veteran's report of in-service back pain and training exercises.

The Board granted service connection for a lumbar spine condition, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and scarring of the lumbar spine as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right leg conditions.

The Board remands the claims for service connection of various conditions to correct duty to assist errors that occurred prior to the October 2021 rating decision and the July 2022 HLR rating decision on appeal.

The Board denied the applications to revise a March 2021 rating decision based on clear and unmistakable error (CUE) for various claims of service connection, finding no evidence that the correct facts were not before the RO or that the applicable statutory and regulatory provisions were incorrectly applied.

The Board denied service connection for hiatal hernia, erectile dysfunction, and migraines but granted service connection for left hip disability (degenerative arthritis) and earlier effective dates for certain conditions.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for limitation of flexion and 30 percent for limitation of extension for left knee joint osteoarthritis, as well as service connection for a sleep disability secondary to the left knee condition.

The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for left knee osteoarthritis as it is inextricably intertwined with the already granted right knee disorder.

The Board remands the claims for a new examination to address inconsistencies in the previous VA examination reports regarding pain upon motion and weight-bearing.

The Board denied the claims for increased ratings for right knee osteochondroma and right knee osteoarthritis, as there was no evidence of severe subluxation or lateral instability for the former condition and no evidence of flexion limited to 30 degrees or less for the latter.

The Board granted service connection for cervical spine disability, bilateral knee disability, and left upper extremity radiculopathy. The claim for colitis was remanded for further development.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and an increased evaluation for the service-connected left ankle disability, as well as the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board denied service connection for right knee degenerative arthritis and left knee degenerative arthritis, secondary to the right knee condition.

The Board granted an effective date of July 23, 2020 for the award of service connection for left and right knee degenerative arthritis.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left and right knees but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board granted a 40 percent evaluation for the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) effective April 3, 2007.

The Board granted an effective date of May 20, 2020, for the 50 percent evaluation of left knee osteoarthritis and basic eligibility for DEA benefits.

The Board denied service connection for all the conditions listed as there was no evidence to support a finding that any of these conditions were related to the Veteran's active military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various radiculopathies and granted an initial 30 percent rating for cervical spine intervertebral disc syndrome, spondylolisthesis and residual status post cervical spine fusion with hardware, as well as a TDIU.

The reduction in the evaluation of service-connected lumbar spine degenerative arthritis from 20 to 10 percent disabling was proper, and restoration of the 20 percent rating is not warranted.

The appeal of the proposed rating reduction for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was dismissed due to it not being a final decision upon which an appeal may be initiated. The claim for service connection for left knee disability is remanded for further development.