Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board remands the claim for service connection for a right knee disability to obtain an additional medical opinion with a thorough rationale, as the previous VA medical opinion was found inadequate.

The Board granted service connection for lower back disability, neck disability (cervicalgia), and persistent depressive disorder with cannabis use disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability. The claim for obstructive sleep apnea was denied.

The Board remands the claims for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for intervertebral disc syndrome and degenerative arthritis with L4-5 herniated disc and L2-3 osteophytes, as well as right knee Osgood-Schlatter's disease, to obtain a more adequate medical examination.

The Board granted a 70 percent disability rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a 30 percent disability rating for bilateral pes planus. The claims for increased ratings for right hip degenerative arthritis and femoral acetabular impingement syndrome, lumbosacral strain, and service connection for radiculopathy were denied.

The Board granted restoration of the 40 percent rating for left arm, effective July 14, 2021, and denied an increased rating greater than 20 percent for radiculopathy right arm. The claim for an increased rating for cervical spine was remanded.

The Board denied earlier effective dates for service connection and higher ratings for various disabilities, including degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder, residual surgical scar of the right shoulder, other specified trauma and stressor related disorder with depressive disorder, left foot plantar fasciitis with pes planus and metatarsalgia, fracture of the left ankle, and residuals, fracture, left third metacarpal/long finger.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as well as remanded certain issues.

The Board remands the claims for further development and to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board granted service connection for somatic symptom disorder, left knee osteoarthritis, and headaches. The Veteran was also granted increased ratings of 20 percent for degenerative disk disease of the lumbar spine and 40 percent for status post ligament damage and acromioclavicular repair of the right shoulder with acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis and acromioclavicular joint degenerative joint disease.

The appeal for service connection for left ankle strain, left hip osteoarthritis, and a left lower extremity condition was dismissed due to the untimely filing of the Board Appeal request.

The claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for degenerative arthritis of the spine (back disability) is remanded due to a lack of adequate notice for a VA examination.

The Board granted a 50% rating for bilateral pes planus prior to April 12, 2021 and denied a higher rating from that date. It also granted an initial 30% rating for bilateral plantar fasciitis with degenerative arthritis.

The veteran withdrew his appeals for various ratings related to his right and left knee conditions, resulting in the dismissal of these claims.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for right knee osteoarthritis, granted a separate 20 percent rating for right knee instability from September 29, 2011, and granted an initial 10 percent rating for vertigo from the same date. The Board also denied service connection for restrictive lung disease, hypertension, cardiac muscle damage, testicular and groin pain, neck disability, back disability, right hand disability, right elbow disability, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right hip disability, and left hip disability.

The Board remands the claims for increased ratings for left and right upper extremity radiculopathy and cervical degenerative arthritis to correct pre-decisional errors, including failing to obtain relevant private medical treatment records and providing an adequate VA examination.

The Board granted the restoration of a 40 percent rating for degenerative disc disease other than intervertebral disc syndrome with spinal stenosis from October 13, 2022, due to improper procedural guidelines in implementing the rating reduction.

The Board denied service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis, left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis with degenerative arthritis, and sinusitis as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Board denied service connection for several conditions, granted service connection for a left shoulder strain and an initial rating of 100 percent for right knee instability s/p ACL reconstruction, and remanded claims related to adjustment disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as the November 2023 TERA opinions are inadequate.

The Board denied service connection for degenerative arthritis lumbar spine, left lower extremity sciatica, and right lower extremity sciatica as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or caused by the Veteran's military service.