Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board found no evidence of chronic residuals of a fall manifesting in service and concluded that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to her in-service fall. Service connection for residuals of a fall is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is currently pending due to a remand request. The issues include seeking higher initial ratings for PTSD, lumbar spine arthritis, IBS, and hyperhidrosis.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his service-connected lumbar degenerative arthritis with anterolisthesis was denied prior to April 18, 2013. From that date forward, the claim was also denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran's currently diagnosed degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is not etiologically related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed as the appellant has withdrawn all issues on appeal.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and a higher evaluation for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine have been denied. The Veteran was found to have no worse than Level I hearing acuity in both ears, resulting in a non-compensable disability rating under DC 6100. For his degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, he is currently rated at 10 percent and this rating criteria does not support an increased evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his withdrawal of claims for right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and left ear hearing loss. The reduction of the rating for back disability from 40% to 20% is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including low back and bilateral hip conditions, were not incurred or aggravated during his active military service. The evidence does not establish a nexus between these conditions and any in-service injury or event.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability was not related to service and denied.,Sleep apnea and GERD were both found to be due to undiagnosed illnesses associated with the Gulf War, but as these conditions are presumed, no rating is assigned.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if he is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral shoulder disabilities are not related to his active service or any service-connected disability, and thus denied both claims for service connection.

The Veteran's compensable rating for residuals of fractures to the third, fourth, and fifth metacarpals of the left hand has been granted.,For hypoesthesia of the fifth digit of the left hand, a 10 percent rating was assigned effective March 15, 2010. The appeal is denied as there is no evidence of a higher rating for this period.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a private medical facility in July 2011 are granted as the criteria for reimbursement under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1728 have been met.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his right shoulder and left knee were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 20% for his right knee osteoarthritis, which was granted with a 20% evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings and propriety of assigned ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran was granted service connection for depression. The Board also addressed other claims but deferred a decision pending further case development, including obtaining SSA records and verifying the in-service stressor for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for further development of her claims, including service connection for bilateral hip disorder, low back disorder, and bilateral leg disorder.

The Veteran's low back disability was rated at 40 percent effective January 3, 2014. His right and left knee disabilities were each assigned a separate 10 percent rating as of the same date.

The Veteran's combined schedular service-connected disability rating for his right and left shoulder disabilities is 50%. The VA Director of Compensation has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable. Therefore, TDIU is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left hip disability is caused or aggravated by his service-connected right hip disability, and thus grants service connection for this condition.