Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings and service connection, resulting in the dismissal of all issues.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied increased ratings for status post tonsillectomy, right shoulder disability, and surgical scars, right shoulder.

The veteran withdrew his appeals for earlier effective dates and increased ratings, resulting in the dismissal of all claims.

The Board granted service connection for a left knee disorder, diagnosed as left knee degenerative arthritis, based on the continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board granted increased ratings for major depressive disorder, left and right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic and femoral nerves), and right shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, but denied a higher rating for the same conditions from February 10, 2022.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, but remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and a back disability for further development.

The Board remands the claims for a left foot disability and #9 tooth loss with prosthetic to schedule VA examinations due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.

The Board remands the claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with lumbosacral strain due to an inadequate VA examination.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for the Veteran's right shoulder condition and TDIU, as the evidence did not support higher ratings or unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board granted an effective date of October 3, 2019, for the grant of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for service connection for cervical and lumbar spine disabilities to correct a duty to assist error, specifically related to obtaining complete service treatment records and an adequate medical opinion.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection for left, right knee, and right hip degenerative arthritis due to a lack of timely filing of a notice of disagreement or new evidence within one year of the June 2019 rating decision.

The Board remands the issues of the propriety of the reduction in evaluation of the left knee, a rating in excess of 10 percent for osteoarthritis of the left knee, and entitlement to a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the claims for an initial evaluation higher than 10 percent for left knee osteoarthritis with limitation of flexion and an initial compensable evaluation for left knee osteoarthritis with limitation of extension due to a lack of compliance with previous remand instructions.

The Board remands the case for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's left knee disability and an extraschedular referral for TDIU based on his service-connected left knee alone.

The Board remands the claims for a new examination to properly assess the Veteran's right knee disabilities, including during flare-ups.

The Board remands the issues of service connection for a recurrent right hand disability and a recurrent left foot disability to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction for further development, as the current record is inadequate to determine whether the Veteran has these disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for a low back disability but denied service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury and a right eye disability.

The Board denied increased ratings for the Veteran's service-connected conditions, except for a 20 percent rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve) and left lower extremity radiculopathy (sciatic nerve), which was granted from January 21, 2020, to October 11, 2020. The Board also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board remands the claim for a right knee disability to obtain an addendum medical opinion, as there is a duty to assist error in failing to get an appropriate medical opinion.