Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for further action, including scheduling a videoconference hearing at either the Columbia or Atlanta RO based on the Veteran's preference.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right knee disability is related to an event, injury, or disease in service and finds it at least as likely as not that his current right knee disability is due to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for his left leg and right knee disorders are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and consideration of recent legal precedent.

The Board has ordered additional examination and opinion to determine if the Veteran's current left knee disability is related to his service, including a football injury in 1979. The case will be returned for further action.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and VA outpatient treatment records. A VA examination will also be scheduled to determine the nature and etiology of her bilateral hand, knee, and low back disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to his request for withdrawal of all pending claims before the Board.

The Board has remanded the case for scheduling a Travel Board hearing at the local RO. The Veteran's claims of service connection for degenerative arthritis, cervical spine disorder, and leg pain are pending.

The Veteran's service-connected left hip disability rendered him unemployable as of May 2002, and his effective date for the TDIU should have been May 2002. This would mean that he had continuously rated as totally disabled due to this condition for at least ten years prior to his death in November 2012, qualifying him for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be caused by in-service exposure to excessive and harmful noise, warranting service connection. The lumbar spine degenerative arthritis claim is remanded for further action.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his degenerative arthritis of the bilateral knees and enlarged prostate with urinary frequency were denied. The Veteran's hemorrhoids are rated at 10 percent, but not compensable.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further evidentiary development, including a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected ankle disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed lumbar spine degenerative disc disease and left knee osteoarthritis began in service and have persisted since then, warranting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's right elbow disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder are each rated as non-compensable. However, the Veteran's lip scar is rated at a compensable level of 10 percent.,The Veteran meets the criteria for a 10 percent evaluation for his lip scar.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the left knee was productive of extension limited to 15 degrees from April 9, 2010, to May 4, 2015, warranting a 20 percent evaluation.

The Veteran's moderately advanced osteoarthritis changes of the right great toe are rated at 10 percent, effective from November 14, 2007. His bilateral pes planus is currently rated at 50 percent, effective March 17, 2012.

The Board denied higher disability ratings for bilateral knee arthritis and instability, finding that the current 20 percent ratings adequately compensate the Veteran for his limitation of motion, pain, and functional limitations.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative arthritis of the bilateral knees, finding that there is no evidence to support a secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examination and needs further medical opinions regarding the Veteran's right knee disability.

The Board denied service connection for a cervical spine disorder and found that the Veteran's right shoulder disability did not preclude him from obtaining TDIU. The Veteran appealed the decision regarding his right shoulder disability to the Court, which vacated the portion of the June 2014 Board decision holding that TDIU was not raised by the record.

The Board found that the Veteran's combined rating for his service-connected disabilities (40% for lumbar spine intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative arthritis of the spine and 10% for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy) did not meet the schedular threshold for TDIU. The Director denied entitlement to a TDIU on an extraschedular basis, concluding that it was possible he could be substantially gainfully employed in a sedentary occupation.