Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability caused him to become obese, which was a substantial factor in causing his sleep apnea. The decision also concludes that obesity would not have occurred but for the lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's right knee degenerative arthritis and instability have been granted a 30 percent rating since January 17, 2024. The 30 percent rating is for the right knee degenerative arthritis, while a separate 10 percent rating has been assigned for right knee instability.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for his back disability and bilateral lower radiculopathy of the sciatic nerve has been dismissed as he withdrew the appeal through his authorized representative.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to increased ratings for osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine and left knee meniscal tear, as well as entitlement to a higher rating for osteoarthritis of the left knee prior to March 18, 2024.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected right thumb disability is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the severity of the disability and its functional loss.

The Veteran's hypertension is not service connected.,Obstructive sleep apnea, right forearm supination and pronation impairment, right forearm limitation of extension, and right forearm compartment syndrome with crush injury with fasciotomy are all granted as secondary to the service-connected left knee disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding a left toe disorder and service connection. The Veteran's initial disability rating of 60 percent for his left knee degenerative arthritis remains unchanged.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was denied. The Board found that there is no evidence showing functional impairment equivalent to ankylosis.,Higher staged ratings were also denied for radiculopathy of both lower extremities.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to new information suggesting worsening of the Veteran's left knee disabilities, including pain and limitation of motion during flare-ups. The Veteran needs an updated examination to assess his current condition.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability, but remanded the issue of service connection for a respiratory disability (other than sleep apnea), claimed as asthma.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for his back and right knee disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a rating higher than 40 percent for lumbar DDD or higher than 20 percent thereafter for right knee disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation as of January 10, 2020. His TDIU claim is granted with an effective date of that day.

The Board has found that the Veteran's degenerative disc of the lumbar spine was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.,For his left hand and shoulder conditions, the Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's left hip condition, including arthritis and joint replacement, is related to service-connected diabetes mellitus. However, due to insufficient evidence, further examination and opinion are required.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and related radiculopathy conditions are all granted. The Veteran also has a secondary service-connected spinal scar.

The Board has granted service connection for cervical spine and left hip disabilities, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition and it is not related to service or a service-connected disability.,Service connection is granted for tinnitus, with reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran. The evidence is at least balanced as to whether his tinnitus began during service.

The Veteran's left hip disability is currently rated at 10 percent for limitation of extension and flexion, but not more than this.,The Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are both rated at 10 percent.,The Veteran's thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis is also rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates and increased ratings for bilateral knee conditions are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error in the January 2022 VA examination.

The Veteran's low back condition is rated at 40% disabling, which represents an increase from the original rating of 10%. The appeal for a higher rating has been denied.