Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) decisions — 2026

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability rating and service connection for various disorders have been withdrawn. The Board has granted service connection for a back disability (lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, spondylolisthesis, and vertebral fracture) due to in-service injuries.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, dizziness, sleep apnea, left knee osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease with Osgood Schlatter's disease, right knee osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease, left ankle condition, and left thumb dislocation to include buckling due to lack of new and relevant evidence.

The Veteran seeks compensation for a right shoulder condition that she contends was caused by VA during a routine mammogram. The RO remanded the claim due to inadequate medical opinion regarding causation.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petitions for readjudication of his previously denied claims for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, right upper extremity and left upper extremity, as well as degenerative arthritis. The decision is based on new evidence submitted by the Veteran that supports a finding of in-service onset and continuity of symptoms.

The Board denied service connection for lower back pain and total disability based upon individual unemployability, finding that the Veteran's current back complaints did not originate in or are otherwise related to his military service.

Service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, osteoarthritis of the right and left hip, and degenerative arthritis of the right and left ankle has been granted effective June 17, 2009.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's right shoulder disorder, including whether it is related to service or secondary to his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for a cervical spine disability, right upper extremity neuropathy, left upper extremity neuropathy, and degenerative arthritis of the right ankle as secondary to service-connected low back disabilities.,Service connection for hypertension was denied due to lack of chronic symptoms during active service and not related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left elbow limitation of extension and painful supination due to a duty to assist error in prior examinations.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating higher than 40 percent for his back disability is denied. The issue of entitlement to a TDIU from February 25, 2016, to August 14, 2022, is also denied. The effective date for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the service connection claims for right foot, left foot, right knee, left knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities. The decision also includes a remand for service connection of right hip degenerative arthritis with trochanteric pain syndrome (includes trochanteric bursitis).

The Veteran's right knee disability, including a meniscal tear and ACL injury, is currently rated at 10 percent for limitation of motion. A separate 10 percent rating has been granted for instability.

The Board has decided that the Veteran does not meet eligibility requirements for PCAFC based on a November 2023 claim due to lack of personal care services. However, the Board finds the CEAT review consultation inadequate and remands the case for further clarification.

The Veteran's back disability, including lumbosacral strain and degenerative arthritis, is found to be related to her active-duty service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder labral tear with degenerative arthritis and supraspinatus tendinopathy is related to his military service, granting service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's spine disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has ordered a remand to determine if a higher rating is warranted based on worsening symptoms.

The Veteran's initial ratings for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity have been granted at a 20 percent level, effective November 17, 2016.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for left shoulder condition and lumbar spine condition due to incomplete record development. The Veteran is required to provide authorization for VA to obtain private treatment records from Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and another institution identified as Jacksonville Orthopedic.

The Veteran's bilateral knee disability, including osteoarthritis and meniscal tears, is rated at 10 percent since August 28, 2019.

The Veteran's attempts to appeal his service connection claim for degenerative arthritis as secondary to lumbar spine degenerative disc disease were denied. The Board also remanded the issues of a rating greater than 20 percent for lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and TDIU.