Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a low back disability and finds that new evidence supports this reopening. The Veteran's diagnosed conditions, including degenerative arthritis of the spine, intervertebral disc syndrome, L5 spondylosis with associated Grade 2 spondylolisthesis L5-S1 with degenerative disc disease, radiculopathy with bilateral sciatic nerve involvement, and scoliosis convexed to the left, are considered service-connected.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the issues of service connection for various conditions, including psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular diseases.

The Board granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine (claimed as chronic sciatic nerve) and assigned a noncompensable rating. The Veteran's right wrist posttraumatic degenerative arthritis is rated at 10 percent, effective February 7, 2017. Her right hip trochanteric bursitis remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's left knee disability, characterized by pain and limited motion, has been rated at 20 percent since October 25, 2017. The rating is based on limitation of flexion.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his left knee disability is granted, with separate ratings of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis, 10 percent for instability, and 20 percent for dislocated semilunar cartilage effective from February 28, 2012.

The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disorder is currently rated at 20 percent, and his thoracolumbar spine disorder is rated at 10 percent. The Board finds the evidence supports a higher rating for both conditions.

The Board found that the Veteran's right knee disability is related to his active service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for osteoarthritis of the right and left knees as there was no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for lumbar degenerative arthritis and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and a mood disorder. The Veteran's back pain is believed to have occurred due to a personal assault during service, which may have aggravated his existing condition. The VA needs to obtain relevant medical records from San Diego NMC for both claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection, increased ratings, and TDIU are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records. The issues include determining if his knee conditions are secondary to his lumbar spine condition, obtaining an updated examination for his back disability, and obtaining VA treatment records for his psychiatric care.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for the Veteran's right wrist disability, finding that the evidence did not support a rating higher than the current 10 percent assigned based on painful motion and degenerative changes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to address the etiology of his claimed osteoarthritis and gout disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his right knee disability. The TDIU issue will also be deferred until further notice.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a chronic right hip disability related to service and denied his claim for service connection. For his right ankle fracture, the Board determined that the current rating of 10% was appropriate based on the evidence showing moderate limited range of motion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for shrapnel wounds of the upper back and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine were reopened, with the former being granted and the latter denied.,Service connection was established for residuals of shrapnel wounds in the upper back. The Veteran's current diagnosis of degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is not considered to be service-connected.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher disability ratings under the applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's left knee disability, characterized by full extension with limited flexion to no less than 93 degrees and functional impairment due to painful motion, does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied increased evaluations for the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine, bilateral knee, and bilateral hip disabilities have been found to meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU since November 12, 2009. The remaining issues of increased ratings are addressed in the remand section.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including an updated VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral knee conditions.