Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Veteran requested to dismiss his claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, and the Board granted this request.

The Veteran's appeal for compensable ratings for degenerative arthritis of the left and right feet associated with bilateral pes planus is dismissed as the appellant withdrew their appeal.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and effective dates related to his service-connected conditions has been granted. The issues of entitlement to a TDIU, Dependents' Educational Assistance, and the specific rating increases have all been resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's left knee disabilities have been rated at 20 percent since February 10, 2014. The effective date for these ratings is the date of receipt of his claim.

The Veteran's application for Legacy S-DVI insurance was denied because it was not received within two years of the most recent grant of service connection, which occurred in October 2018. The Veteran did not meet the eligibility criteria as per 38 U.S.C. § 1922(a).

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings in various conditions have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the appeal process.

The Veteran's left hip disability is currently rated noncompensable due to painful motion but not showing flexion limited to 45 degrees or less. The Board has remanded the claims for GERD and a right hip disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ankle grade 2 chondral thinning with low grade sprain of CFL was granted, and an effective date of August 17, 2020, but no earlier, was established. The initial evaluation for the disability remains at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for MDD with anxious distress was denied. The appeal is REMANDED to obtain retrospective medical opinions regarding the severity of his left shoulder and bilateral knee disabilities at the time of January 2019 VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical strain with DDD, degenerative arthritis, and spinal stenosis is related to an in-service motor vehicle accident. The evidence supports this finding, including private medical opinions and lay statements from the Veteran.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU rating from January 19, 2019 due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability including osteoarthritis and joint replacement, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to an in-service injury during basic training.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for left shoulder degenerative arthritis is remanded due to the inadequacy of the VA examination report, which may have related his current condition to psoriatic arthritis instead of degenerative arthritis.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal for scoliosis and osteoarthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, resulting in the dismissal of this case.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal before a decision was made.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to determine if he should receive an extension of his temporary total disability rating beyond January 1, 2024 due to convalescence following lumbar spine surgery. The case will be forwarded to the appropriate Veterans Service Center Manager for consideration.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has dismissed all appeals regarding service connection for tinnitus, increased ratings for right and left lower extremity radiculopathy, and an increased rating for lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. The Veteran withdrew his appeal through his authorized representative in August 2024.

The Veteran's disability ratings for Degenerative Arthritis of the Spine with IVDS and Radiculopathy of the Left Lower Extremity have been reinstated to their previous levels.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for right knee osteoarthritis and acquired psychiatric disorder due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to clarify his diagnoses and determine if they are related to service.