Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The veteran's vocational rehabilitation claim is being remanded for further development and evaluation due to the addition of new evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the appellant for VA examinations to determine the severity of his service-connected right and left wrist disabilities.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claims for service connection have been denied as new and material evidence has not been received to reopen them.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for left knee ACL repairs was granted, with a 20 percent rating effective January 1, 1997.,Service connection for left knee osteoarthritis was established and assigned a noncompensable rating from July 25, 1999. A 10 percent rating was assigned effective July 25, 1999.,The veteran's claim for service connection for left lower extremity scarring associated with ACL repair was granted, with a noncompensable rating effective July 25, 1995.

The Board has determined that the appellant is in need of regular aid and attendance due to her health conditions, including Arnold Chiari disorder, degenerative arthritis, and depression. As a result, she qualifies for special monthly dependency and indemnity compensation.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have residuals of shell fragment wounds to the left knee or ankle, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied. The scars from the left hand and thigh are evaluated as direct service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted an extension of the temporary total disability evaluation for the veteran's right knee meniscectomy residuals with osteoarthritis under the provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 4.30 until January 20, 1999, based upon convalescence following a July 1998 surgical procedure.

The VA denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's right knee disability, currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board found no evidence of an in-service injury or treatment for a low back disorder, and the veteran's lay statements alone are insufficient to establish service connection. The earliest record of arthritis is decades after his active service, and there is no competent evidence showing current back pathology is related to any in-service occurrence or event.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have any residuals of a right knee injury or cold injury of the right great toe that are service-connected.

The VA has denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings for his left knee, left ankle, and low back disabilities. The RO found that the current evaluations of 10 percent are appropriate based on the symptoms described.

The Board has granted service connection for left carpal tunnel syndrome as secondary to the veteran's right thumb and right hand conditions.

The Board denied the appellant's claims of entitlement to service connection for asthma and degenerative arthritis, finding that there was no evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his service. The claim for nonservice-connected disability pension benefits was also denied as the appellant did not have qualifying service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and a need for an examination to determine if the veteran's current osteoarthritis of the right knee is etiologically connected to her in-service injury.

The veteran's osteoarthritis of the spine, shoulders, hands, knees, wrists, hips, and right foot was found to be directly related to his service. The muscle pain and joint pain noted in his April 1991 examination are considered as part of this condition.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the right knee, finding that a 60 percent rating was appropriate based on the current functional impairment. The left knee condition did not warrant a separate rating.

The Board denied an increased rating for instability of the left knee, finding that the veteran's condition warranted a 10 percent disability rating.

The veteran's internal derangement of the left knee was rated at 20 percent from April 23, 1997, to June 30, 2003.,Osteoarthritis with limitation of motion of the left knee (status post surgery) was rated at 100 percent from August 4, 2000, to September 30, 2000; 20 percent from October 1, 2000, to June 5, 2001; and 30 percent since August 1, 2002.,Degenerative disc disease of L5-S1 was rated at 40 percent from September 11, 1998, to February 7, 2001; 60 percent from February 8, 2001, to January 31, 2002; and 40 percent since April 1, 2002.,Right L-5 radiculopathy affecting the right lower extremity was rated at 20 percent from September 23, 2002.,Service connection for trochanteric bursitis of the right hip (claimed as secondary to service-connected left knee disability) was granted.

The Board found that the veteran's current conditions are as likely as not related to his service, specifically cold injuries sustained during active duty in Antarctica. The decision grants service connection for residuals of frostbite.

The Board found that the veteran's low back disorder, including degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and chronic low back pain, is not proximately due to or a consequence of his service-connected left leg disability.