Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his shoulder disabilities and TDIU are being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The VA will attempt to obtain private medical records from the Veteran's outside providers, Dr. B., Dr. J.L., and Dr. C.

The Veteran's right knee osteoarthritis and cervical spine disability have been granted service connection, with a 20 percent rating for the right knee condition. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

Your previous appeals for service connection for knee and ankle arthritis have been dismissed because the July 12, 2021 notice of disagreement was found to be duplicative.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased rating were dismissed as the requests for extensions of time to file appeal forms were denied, and no good cause was shown.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's back injury is presumed to have occurred prior to service, but it is unclear if the preexisting condition worsened during service.

The Board has granted a rating of 40 percent for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability prior to October 18, 2019, finding that the evidence supports this rating based on the Veteran's service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right foot plantar fasciitis and a right hip disability due to incomplete medical opinions and potential missing private treatment records.

The Board denied effective dates prior to April 18, 2021 for the grants of service connection for various disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing an intent to file a claim before that date.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a right knee disability due to insufficient medical evidence and an inadequate VA examination. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development, including obtaining an adequate VA opinion on the nature and etiology of any diagnosed right knee disability.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for right knee osteoarthritis, left knee osteoarthritis, and left ankle sprain with tendonitis before the Board. The appeal is dismissed as a result.

The Board denied service connection for right foot, left foot, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to a lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or disease that caused the current conditions.,Service connection was also denied for left ankle and right ankle disabilities as there is no evidence linking these conditions to active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder osteoarthritis and right foot hallux rigidus, finding that new evidence did not support reopening of these claims.,For right shoulder osteoarthritis, the Board noted a current diagnosis but found no in-service disease or injury related to this condition. The claim was denied as there was insufficient evidence linking the current disability to service.

The Veteran's bilateral foot disability, breast cancer, and lymphedema are all found to be service-connected. However, the claim for depression secondary to breast cancer is remanded due to insufficient evidence.,Service connection has been granted for the Veteran's bilateral foot condition, breast cancer, and lymphedema as a result of her breast cancer treatment.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the back is granted as service connected, with the injury occurring during active duty for training (ACDUTRA). The Board found a causal relationship between the Veteran's parachute jump injury and his current condition.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 50 percent for his psychiatric disorder is dismissed. The Board also remanded the claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, left hand degenerative arthritis, and right hand degenerative arthritis.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were dismissed due to his death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims as he passed away during the appeal process.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, and neck conditions due to inadequate etiology opinions based on the Veteran's lay statements of continuous symptoms since service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding earlier effective dates and higher disability ratings for various conditions, including left hip arthritis, peripheral vascular disease, degenerative arthritis with lumbosacral strain, right knee arthritis, and ankle strain. The Board dismissed the appeal due to the withdrawal.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for entitlement to service connection for right knee degenerative arthritis and left knee degenerative arthritis due to a duty to assist error.

The Veteran's radiculopathy of the left lower sciatic nerve is not productive of moderately severe or severe incomplete paralysis, and thus he does not meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent.,Similarly, his radiculopathy of the left lower femoral nerve also does not meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent due to moderate incomplete paralysis.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is remanded for additional examination and analysis.