Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder but granted an increased evaluation of 20 percent for the veteran's left knee disability.

The veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and his accrued benefits claim for a higher rating on the merits is denied.

The veteran's service-connected migraines are rated at 30 percent, and his post traumatic osteoarthritis of the right shoulder is currently rated at 10 percent. The effective date for these ratings is not specified.

The veteran died of pneumonia, which was not service-connected. The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death and determined that the veteran did not meet eligibility requirements for VA death pension benefits.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need to verify his status as a former POW in World War II.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for service-connected osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine and hypertension are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations, updated VCAA notification, and consideration of new schedular criteria.

The Board has determined that a 40 percent rating for inflammatory polyarthritis is warranted from September 12, 1992. The veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date is allowed to the extent indicated.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's current conditions to his period of service, resulting in denial of all claims.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his left knee disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative disc disease at C3-C4 with degenerative arthritis and retrospondylosis, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him in need of regular aid and attendance or housebound, thus denying his claim for special monthly compensation.

The veteran's appeal involves three issues: service connection for residuals of a sartorius muscle strain, a rating in excess of 10 percent for right hip degenerative joint disease, and an effective date prior to June 12, 2000, for the grant of service connection for right hip degenerative joint disease. The case is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected residuals of a gunshot wound to Muscle Group XII of the right leg do not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent. However, giving the benefit of doubt and considering the evidence in equipoise as to whether post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the right knee is related to his service-connected condition, the Board has determined that a separate disability evaluation of 10 percent for this condition should be granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and reconsideration due to a previous denial of service connection for a left knee disability, including degenerative arthritis. The veteran's claim will be reviewed again with additional records from SSA and the Unemployment Commission of Monroe County, North Carolina.

The Board found that the veteran's current back disorder is more likely due to a workplace accident in 1988, not an in-service motor vehicle accident. As such, service connection was denied.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees, maintaining that the current ratings adequately reflect the severity of his disabilities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for her degenerative arthritis of both knees, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The veteran's claims for higher ratings for his service-connected degenerative arthritis and scoliosis of the dorsal spine, as well as his irritation of the right brachial plexus muscle, were denied by the Board. The veteran was granted a 20 percent rating for the dorsal spine disability in April 2000.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his degenerative arthritis of the right and left knees are being remanded due to a need for further development, including obtaining an additional VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including obtaining updated VA treatment records, scheduling an examination, adjudicating increased disability ratings claims, and readjudicating the TDIU claim.