Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2025

The Board granted service connection for a thoracic spine disability as secondary to the service-connected ankle disabilities and remanded the claims for right and left knee osteoarthritis.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the claim for right and left shoulder disabilities, including osteoarthritis, for further development.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for left and right knee strain and degenerative arthritis, as well as bilateral hearing loss, due to inadequate medical opinions.

The Board granted a 50 percent rating for intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative disc disease, degenerative arthritis and spinal stenosis, but denied increased ratings for carpal tunnel syndromes, tinnitus, and other knee conditions. The claim for service connection for fecal incontinence was remanded.

The appeal for service connection for cervical spine degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc disease other than IVDS, spinal fusion, and spinal stenosis, and for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis has been withdrawn and dismissed.

The Board granted a 10 percent rating for right knee degenerative arthritis and a 20 percent rating for right knee patellar instability, effective from April 25, 2023, while denying service connection for hypertension and increased ratings for other conditions.

The Board dismissed the appeals for a rating in excess of 10 percent for Behcet's disease and service connection for endometrial stromal sarcoma due to concurrent elections. The appeals for service connection for left and right hip disorders were denied, as was the appeal for a compensable rating for pulmonary nodules and granulomas.

The veteran withdrew the appeal for all issues, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review the appeal.

The veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings and service connection, resulting in the dismissal of all issues.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied increased ratings for status post tonsillectomy, right shoulder disability, and surgical scars, right shoulder.

The veteran withdrew his appeals for earlier effective dates and increased ratings, resulting in the dismissal of all claims.

The Board granted service connection for a left knee disorder, diagnosed as left knee degenerative arthritis, based on the continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board granted increased ratings for major depressive disorder, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic and femoral nerves), and right shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, but denied a higher rating for the same conditions from February 10, 2022.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, but remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and a back disability for further development.

The Board remands the claims for a left foot disability and #9 tooth loss with prosthetic to schedule VA examinations due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board remands the claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with lumbosacral strain due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's right shoulder condition and TDIU, as the evidence did not support higher ratings or unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted an effective date of October 3, 2019, for the grant of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities to correct a duty to assist error, specifically related to obtaining complete service treatment records and an adequate medical opinion.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection for left, right knee, and right hip degenerative arthritis due to a lack of timely filing of a notice of disagreement or new evidence within one year of the June 2019 rating decision.