Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board of Veterans' Appeals found that the veteran's right knee disorder, including osteoarthritis, was not incurred or aggravated during his active military service and may not be presumed to have been so incurred.

The Board has ordered the case remanded due to incomplete service records and need for additional medical opinions. The veteran's lower back disability is being reviewed again.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current migraine headache disorder or cervical spine disorder that is service-connected. The veteran's claimed conditions are denied.

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected left hip disability, which includes a femoral neck fracture and degenerative arthritis, does not warrant an increased rating beyond the current 20 percent evaluation.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and granted a 20 percent disability rating for his degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent under the old criteria, but not under the new criteria.

The veteran's disabilities, including degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine and hypertension, do not meet the criteria for a permanent and total disability rating for pension purposes as they are not sufficiently disabling to prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability, finding that his injury during active duty in February 1980 was related to his current condition.

The Board has granted service connection for obsessive-compulsive disorder and denied service connection for post traumatic stress disorder and a low back disability. The veteran's current psychiatric condition is presumed to have been incurred during military service, while his low back disability is not considered service-connected.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed lumbar spine, bilateral shoulder, elbow, and hand disabilities are not service-connected as they are not shown to be related to his military service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including sacroiliitis and multiple sclerosis with decreased sensation and ataxia in both upper extremities, do not meet the eligibility requirements for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to her blindness and anatomical loss of use of one or more extremities.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for left knee instability and a 10 percent evaluation for degenerative arthritis of the left knee, effective from when the increased rating claim was filed in December 2004.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional VCAA notice and readjudication of his claim for an increased rating for right knee disability.

The Board found that the veteran's current left foot disorders, including calcaneal and talus stress reactions, plantar fasciitis, and hallux rigidus with osteoarthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint, were not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The Board also determined that these conditions are not related to a disease or injury of service origin.

The Board found that the veteran's current joint pain, including rotator cuff tears and degenerative arthritis in both shoulders and left ankle, is not related to his period of active military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current hearing loss in either ear, and thus service connection for defective hearing is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further evaluation of the veteran's low back disability, as there are inconsistencies in how it was initially rated and additional evidence may warrant a different rating.

The Board found that the current diagnoses of osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence showing an injury during service and a lack of nexus between the current disabilities and service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for residuals of fractures to the left femur and right pelvis were denied. The left femur fracture resulted in a 30% disability rating, while the right pelvis fracture was not rated higher.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine. However, the evidence does not support a finding that this condition is related to active service.