Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The appeal is REMANDED to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development and readjudication.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA examinations and reviewing all available service records.

The Veteran's low back disability is rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted. The Veteran does not meet the requirements for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board finds that a cervical spine disorder, including as secondary to service-connected recurrent dislocation of the left shoulder, did not manifest in service or for many years thereafter and is not casually related to, or aggravated by, active service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for right knee degenerative arthritis is before the Board.,The Veteran seeks service connection for a cervical spine disability and a left knee disability, to include as secondary to his right knee disability. He also seeks service connection for a right ankle disability and bilateral foot disabilities. Finally, he seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is before the Board. The Veteran contends that his current psychiatric symptoms are related to his time in service.,The Veteran seeks service connection for a cervical spine disability and a left knee disability, to include as secondary to his right knee disability. He also seeks service connection for a right ankle disability and bilateral foot disabilities. Finally, he seeks an increased rating for his right knee degenerative arthritis.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disability is before the Board. The Veteran contends that his current psychiatric symptoms are related to his time in service.,The Veteran seeks service connection for a cervical spine disability and a left knee disability, to include as secondary to his right knee disability. He also seeks service connection for a right ankle disability and bilateral foot disabilities. Finally, he seeks an increased rating for his right knee degenerative arthritis.

The Board finds the evidence is at least in equipoise that the Veteran's right knee disability is a result of active military service, and grants her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected low back disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to April 5, 2007. As such, an earlier effective date for the TDIU rating is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee disability and an opinion regarding the etiology of his right hip disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee osteoarthritis is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine has not resulted in a loss of forward flexion of 60 degrees or less, a combined range of motion of the thoracolumbar spine less than 120 degrees, lumbar radiculopathy, or muscle spasm or guarding severe enough to result in an abnormal gait or abnormal spinal contour such as scoliosis, reversed lordosis, or abnormal kyphosis. The Veteran's left knee is shown to have arthritis causing a noncompensable decrease in range of motion due to pain; and while he complains of giving away of the knee, the weight of the evidence is against the finding that has lateral instability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current back and knee disabilities are not related to his military service, nor can they be attributed to a service-connected disability. The evidence does not support finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination and the obtaining of additional medical records.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and a left knee disability, finding that new evidence received since the last final denial raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims. The Veteran's current diagnoses are supported by medical records showing elevated blood glucose levels during service, which could indicate undiagnosed diabetes mellitus.

The Board denied increased ratings for degenerative arthritis of the left knee status post meniscectomy and residual stress fracture of the left medial tibia with slight instability, finding that the Veteran's symptoms did not warrant higher schedular ratings under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current lumbar spine disability is causally connected to his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for his chronic residuals of the left shoulder is denied. The current 20 percent rating adequately captures the Veteran's reported symptoms, including pain and limitation of motion.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate examination of the Veteran's left knee disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's arthritis of the lumbar spine, cervical spine, and right shoulder are related to her active military service.,Reasoning: The March 2015 VA examiner opined that the Veteran's arthritis of the lumbar spine, cervical spine, and right shoulder were at least as likely as not related to her military service.