Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board has vacated the portion of the January 2012 decision that denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for a lumbar surgical scar. The claim for an increased evaluation for intervertebral disk pathology at L4-5 with degenerative arthritis remains unchanged, as does the claim for an increased evaluation for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral knee disability, including osteoarthritis, was not incurred in service and is not secondary to a service-connected disability. The opinion from the VA examiner concluded it is less likely as not related to active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left knee osteoarthritis is not related to his active service and has denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran is granted service connection for residuals of left breast surgery and a skin disability of the left ear lobe. Service connection was denied for a skin disability of the right ear lobe and a left knee disorder.,Service connection has been established for a current diagnosis of osteoarthritis in the left knee, which is related to an injury sustained during service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for clarification of the range of motion findings from a previous VA examination.

The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for the Veteran's left ankle disability, effective from January 4, 2011.

The Veteran is permanently and totally disabled due to service-connected disabilities, including his right knee and lumbar spine conditions. The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities are productive of loss of use of both lower extremities such as to preclude locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair. As a result, the Veteran is eligible for a certificate of eligibility for specially adapted housing.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and issuing a Statement of the Case (SOC) for the initial compensable evaluation claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis and an earlier effective date for schizophrenia were denied. The Board also vacated the April 2012 decision due to a procedural error.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his cervical spine, right knee, and left shoulder conditions were denied by the Board.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic sinusitis, lumbar disc herniation, lumbosacral degenerative disc disease, lumbosacral osteoarthritis, and bilateral sciatica of the lower extremities.

The Board found that the current degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine did not have onset during active service and is unrelated to a congenital abnormality or an injury, disease, or event during active service.

The Board has determined that the reduction in the Veteran's disability rating from 20 to 10 percent for his degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with residuals from a L4-5 microdiscectomy was not proper due to the fact that the lower rating had been in effect for less than five years and did not reflect an actual improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected shoulder conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, including osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease (DDD), spinal stenosis, sacroiliac joint osteoarthritis, and Schmorl's node, is causally related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Veteran was granted a compensable rating for de Quervain's disease of the left wrist with compartment release after December 7, 2013, but her other claims remain denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his right and left knee osteoarthritis were denied as the evidence did not show that they warranted a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, osteoarthritis of the elbows, thoracolumbar spine disorder, right knee condition, and left knee disorder. The decision found no evidence of a current disability related to these conditions that was incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran seeks service connection for degenerative arthritis of the left knee. However, due to an in-service right knee injury and its potential impact on the left knee, the issue is being remanded to first address the right knee claim before considering the left knee.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have been granted with compensable ratings, except for the hypertrophic gastritis which has a rating of 10 percent.