Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2025

The Board granted an effective date of August 14, 2023, for the award of service connection for right knee osteoarthritis status post meniscectomy with residual pain and August 29, 2023, for scars of the right knee.

The Board denied service connection for a traumatic brain injury, and remanded claims for headaches, right knee osteoarthritis, and left knee osteoarthritis due to deficiencies in the previous medical opinions.

The Board denied higher initial ratings for the Veteran's right knee degenerative arthritis, instability, and noncompensable scars due to a lack of evidence supporting more severe disability.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis and related conditions, as well as obstructive sleep apnea.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and service connection, with the exception of remanding certain psychiatric and sleep apnea claims.

The Board granted service connection for left sciatica and degenerative arthritis of the left knee, as both conditions were found to be caused by service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions to correct duty to assist errors, including obtaining private medical records and a medical opinion.

The appeal for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a bladder disorder and the appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to untimely filing of the notice of disagreement (NOD) within one year from the date that the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) mailed the notice of the rating decision being appealed.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right hip osteoarthritis to correct a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for the Veteran's left long finger disability and remanded claims for service connection for left and right knee joint osteoarthritis.

The veteran was granted a 30 percent evaluation for right knee tendinitis with degenerative arthritis, effective January 26, 2018.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, left ankle disability manifested by pain, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board granted service connection for post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the right hand, first and second digits, as secondary to a service-connected condition. The issue of a higher disability rating for the service-connected wrist condition was remanded.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD and anxiety, and assigned a 30 percent rating for asthma (previously rated as COPD) effective March 31, 2022. Service connection was denied for degenerative arthritis and higher ratings were denied for episodic sinusitis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for asthma, left knee scar status post medial compartment arthroplasty, major depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder, left knee osteochondritis dissecans and osteoarthritis status post medial compartment arthroplasty, and right knee osteoarthritis status post posterior cruciate ligament tear. The only grant was for a separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability from January 14, 2023.

The Board remands the issue of whether the discontinuance of a separate 10 percent rating for post-operative right knee anterior cruciate ligament tear residuals was proper, as further VA evaluation is needed to determine the nature and severity of the service-connected right knee disability on June 1, 2022.

The Board remands the matters of entitlement to increased ratings for right and left knee disabilities due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board granted service connection for left and right hip degenerative arthritis, finding that the evidence supports a direct link between the in-service injury and the current disabilities.

The Board remands the Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings and TDIU due to bilateral knee disabilities, as new VA examinations are needed to adequately evaluate the current severity of his conditions.

The Board remands the claims for further development, including obtaining additional medical evidence and readjudicating the claims.