Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board granted an effective date of July 30, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension and dismissed claims for earlier effective dates for other conditions.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for degenerative arthritis, a left shoulder disability, bilateral lower extremity nerve conditions, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and a neck disability due to non-jurisdictional procedural defects in the Veteran's August 2024 VA Form 10182.

The Board denied service connection for a left hand and wrist disability, initial ratings in excess of 10 percent for right and left knee disabilities, and an initial compensable rating for ingrown toenail of the bilateral big toe. The claims for service connection for reproductive disability, PTSD, and alcohol use disorder were remanded.

The Board granted readjudication of the claims for service connection based on new and relevant evidence, but remanded several issues for further development.

The Board granted service connection for left and right foot disabilities, left and right knee arthritis, and thoracolumbar spine with spondylosis, but denied lumbar radiculopathy.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, residuals of back injury, residuals of excision of ingrown toenail, left ankle sprain, and pseudofolliculitis on face to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected spine, hip and knee disabilities contributed substantially or materially to his death.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for left hip trochanteric pain syndrome with degenerative arthritis, as the March 2024 VA examination is inadequate due to inconsistencies regarding flare-ups.

The Board granted a 30 percent rating for the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine and a 40 percent rating for lower back strain. The ratings for right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy were also adjusted, with TDIU granted.

The Board denied increased disability ratings for the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the current severity of the conditions.

The Board remands the veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, right shoulder disability, depression, and tinnitus due to duty to assist errors prior to the April 2024 rating decision.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings of a lumbar spine disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability due to insufficient VA examinations.

The Board remands the claims for service connection of left elbow, right elbow, and right thumb degenerative arthritis to obtain an addendum VA medical opinion addressing direct causation and aggravation by service-connected disabilities.

The issues of service connection for degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine; right leg radiculopathy; and degenerative arthritis, cervical spine are dismissed as the Board granted service connection in a separate appeal stream.

The Board granted service connection for left and right knee degenerative arthritis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms were present during active service and have continued to the present.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no current disabilities of chronic sinusitis, fatigue, or UTI, and that knee flexion did not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Board granted the veteran's appeal and reinstated the 40 percent rating for thoracolumbar strain to include degenerative arthritis, finding that the reduction was improper.

The Board granted an initial rating of 70 percent for unspecified trauma and stressor with unspecified depressive disorder, but remanded the issues of a higher rating for right ankle degenerative arthritis and TDIU.

The Board remands the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for left and right hip disabilities due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board granted the readjudication of service connection for diabetes, but denied or remanded other claims based on a lack of new and relevant evidence or due to incomplete medical records.