Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his right shoulder disability and consideration of his TDIU claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right hip disability, finding no evidence of an in-service injury or chronic condition that could be linked to his current symptoms. The Board also found no aggravation by his service-connected lumbar spine disorder.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected conditions have been denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination and obtaining outstanding treatment records. The issues of rating his lower back disability and TDIU are also being addressed.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was rated at 20 percent prior to December 10, 2014. After a review of the evidence, including VA examinations and treatment records, the Board found that his symptoms warranted a higher rating up to 50 percent (less the 10 percent preservice percentage). The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was granted a 40 percent rating effective December 10, 2014.

The appeal has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has remanded the case for scheduling a Decision Review Officer (DRO) hearing, as no such hearing has been scheduled yet. The Veteran's request for a DRO hearing was submitted in January 2016 but no hearing date has been provided.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his left knee disability, as it did not meet the criteria for an increase in disability beyond what was already assigned. His skin disorder, right claw foot, and hypertension were also not supported by the evidence provided.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his claims prior to the Board issuing a decision.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, fibromyalgia, and IBS, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. His TDIU claim is granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to inadequate development, including a failure to provide medical opinions and VA examinations as requested in the November 2015 remand. The case is now pending for further consideration.

The Board found that the Veteran's low back disability is not related to his active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board finds that the Veteran's diagnosed degenerative arthritis of the spine is related to his service-connected right knee strain and left knee strain, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability and his TDIU claim are both remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU was denied, and the effective date of service connection for his left iliac crest fracture residuals condition was found to be August 12, 1993. The initial evaluation for this condition remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's bilateral ankle disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis, was not caused or aggravated by any aspect of service and did not manifest during service or within one year of separation.,The presumption of soundness is rebutted and the Veteran's left hip disability pre-existed his November 2002 active duty service.,The Veteran's right knee disability, diagnosed as chondromalacia patella degenerative changes, was not caused or aggravated by any aspect of service and did not manifest during service or within one year of separation from service.,There is no evidence to support a finding that the Veteran has an acquired psychiatric disorder that had its onset in service, manifested within one year of separation from service, or is otherwise etiologically related to service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for higher ratings for his lumbar spine with radiculopathy disability, service connection for a right shoulder disability, and TDIU prior to January 3, 2014.

The Veteran's service-connected right knee disability, including DJD and instability, was rated at 20 percent prior to December 9, 2011. The RO granted a separate rating of 10 percent for limitation of motion.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further evidentiary development, including additional Compensation and Pension examinations to assess the severity of his right knee and left knee disabilities.