Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2025

The Board denied service connection for right ankle, left ankle, right foot, and left foot disabilities as the evidence did not establish a link to an in-service injury or disease.

The Board granted service connection for left shoulder strain, right knee strain, and migraine including migraine variants. The claim for an initial disability rating of 30 percent for cervical strain with degenerative arthritis was also granted.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including left knee pain, right knee pain, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, degenerative arthritis of the spine, and radiculopathy of both lower extremities, due to missing records and a need for additional evidence.

The Veteran's service connection for hypertension was granted with an effective date of August 10, 2022, but a compensable rating was denied. Several claims for service connection were remanded.

The Board granted service connection for right knee mild osteoarthritis, finding that the condition manifested within one year of separation from service and is not attributable to intercurrent causes.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and granted an effective date of December 22, 2016, but no earlier, for the grant of service connection for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and left eyebrow scar as secondary to TBI.

The Board grants an earlier effective date of April 2, 2020, but no earlier, for the awards of service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy; right lower extremity radiculopathy; status post arthroscopy right knee limitation of flexion; increased disability rating for status post arthroscopy right knee; and an increased disability rating for chronic back pain, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and spinal stenosis.

The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and remanded issues related to his right knee osteoarthritis and PTSD for further development.

The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's back conditions and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied service connection for left ankle and left knee disabilities as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or that the current conditions were related to active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various hip conditions, finding that the current disability ratings were appropriate.

The Board granted earlier effective dates and increased ratings for the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine with spinal fusion, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and coronary artery disease.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for all issues, including initial and increased ratings for various conditions and service connection claims.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including dental trauma, chronic respiratory failure, headaches, allergic rhinitis and sinusitis, low back disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, hemorrhoids, epigastric pain, thyroid disability, monoclonal paraproteinemia, and hip disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a lower back disability, left knee strain, and psychiatric disability (PTSD) as there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his active duty service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected conditions, including lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, cervical spine disability, radiculopathy of both upper and lower extremities, bilateral foot hammer toe, migraine headaches, sinusitis, left shoulder bursitis, and PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis with joint effusion status post arthroscopic surgery, finding that the evidence does not support a direct or presumptive link between the current disability and active service.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a cervical spine disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and bilateral degenerative arthritis of the knees to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and service connection, as well as increased ratings for various disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine, spinal fusion, and spondylolisthesis and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.