Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right hip disability was not incurred in or caused by service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's left knee disability, characterized by chondromalacia and osteoarthritis, is currently rated at 20 percent. Effective December 2, 2009, a separate 10 percent rating for subluxation has been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acromegaly was not incurred or aggravated by active service, and therefore denied his claims for secondary hip and shoulder disabilities.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a right hip disability. The Veteran's currently diagnosed degenerative arthritis of the right hip is found to be caused by his service-connected right knee disability, warranting service connection on a secondary basis.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disorder and granted it, finding that there is at least as likely as not that his current osteoarthritis of the right knee is related to his active service.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and arthritis may not be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic low back condition and pulmonary disorder, including bronchitis and COPD, are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records and an addendum opinion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD, right foot disability, and right ankle injury are all related to his service. The appeals for these conditions have been granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA medical opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's arthritis and obtaining all available VA treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and providing a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hip disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder osteoarthritis is related to an injury sustained during active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the spine is related to his in-service back injury, and thus grants service connection for this disability.

The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis is currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling, the maximum available under DC 5261. The Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's service connection claims for various joint conditions, including degenerative arthritis of the back, neck, shoulders, knees, hips, ankles, and elbows/arms are granted. The specific diagnoses include PTSD, right ankle condition, degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder, bilateral knee conditions, bilateral hip conditions, bilateral ankle conditions, and a left elbow/arm condition.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left knee and asthma, with a rating of 40 percent effective from April 9, 2011.

The Board denied entitlement to higher ratings for the Veteran's low back and cervical spine disabilities on an extraschedular basis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher initial disability ratings for multiple service-connected disabilities, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for increased ratings under applicable VA rating criteria.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial ratings were denied. The lumbar spine disability was rated as 40 percent prior to May 20, 2010, and from September 1, 2010 onwards. The cervical spine disability was rated based on radiculopathy of the upper and lower extremities. Urinary frequency was rated as 40 percent prior to December 7, 2016, and scar was not compensable.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right knee patella-femoral syndrome and osteoarthritis, as well as L4-L5 bulging disc with moderate spinal canal stenosis (degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine), both secondary to his service-connected left knee disorder. The claim for chronic dermatitis remains denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected.,Service connection for osteoarthritis of the right knee, left knee, low back disorder, right hip disorder, and left hip disorder are granted as secondary to his service-connected residuals of a right foot bunionectomy.