Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2026

The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in obtaining relevant treatment records and inadequate VA medical opinions regarding secondary service connection.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to errors in obtaining relevant treatment records and inadequate VA medical opinions regarding secondary service connection.

The Veteran's initial 20 percent rating for cervical spine strain with stenosis and degenerative arthritis is granted effective January 27, 2011. The claims for higher ratings on other issues are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for right knee instability, limited range of motion (ROM), and scar are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date of October 22, 2019, for the award of service connection for right knee osteoarthritis.,The Board dismissed the Veteran's attempt to appeal the assigned effective date of March 23, 2020, for the grant of service connection for left foot plantar fasciitis.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for right knee degenerative arthritis based on limitation of motion was denied. A separate 20 percent rating for a right knee meniscus tear is granted. The claims for service connection for left hip condition and right foot gout are dismissed.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's right shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis is related to an in-service injury. The claim will be returned for further review.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee disorder, right knee disorder, and oligoarticular osteoarthritis due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between these conditions and service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine, left knee, and right knee disabilities on a direct basis, finding that these conditions began during active service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical opinions and potential secondary service connection theories.

The Veteran's chronic sinusitis is granted as service connected on a direct basis due to exposure to burn pits during his service in Djibouti.,The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis is granted as service connected on a direct basis, related to his time as an aviator and the hard landings he experienced.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, tendinitis, and strain, status post arthroscopy with meniscal tear and degenerative arthritis (limitation of flexion), and awarded an initial compensable rating for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, tendinitis, and strain, status post arthroscopy with meniscal tear and degenerative arthritis (limitation of extension).

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for lumbar spine and left knee disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions based on missing service treatment records.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted service connection, but the claims for degenerative arthritis of the spine and left hip osteoarthritis are being remanded due to new evidence.,Left ear hearing loss has also been granted service connection.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis with intervertebral disc syndrome to include spinal stenosis and lumbar scoliosis, right knee total arthroplasty, and left knee strain are all granted service connection as directly related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, thoracic strain, right upper extremity radiculopathy, right knee degenerative arthritis and chondromalacia patella, left knee degenerative arthritis and chondromalacia patella, left ankle ganglion cyst and ruptured saphenous vein, and left great toe matrixectomy with a left medial foot scar. The Board found that the Veteran's conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. Additional evidence is needed, including private treatment records.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of heatstroke is also being remanded due to a duty to assist error. A VA examination is required to determine the current severity of her service-connected heatstroke and its impact on her headaches.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new examination regarding her back disability, specifically addressing whether she has functional ankylosis during flare-ups.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, is related to service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbosacral spine strain with degenerative arthritis, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the current condition and an in-service injury.