Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Veteran's right knee disability is rated at 30 percent, and the Board found that a higher rating was not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The right knee disability and acquired psychiatric disorder claims are being reviewed again, with requests for additional medical records and an examination.

The Board has remanded the evaluations for left and right shoulder osteoarthritis, as well as the evaluation of left knee osteoarthritis. The effective dates remain pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his service-connected conditions did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of July 18, 2013, for the grant of entitlement to a TDIU is granted. The Board found that the Veteran was unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities since at least July 2014.

The Board has granted a 10 percent disability rating for each of the Veteran's hip strains, limitation of flexion, effective March 19, 2020.

The Veteran's left knee and right shoulder disabilities are granted service connection, while his sleep apnea is denied. The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is granted with an effective date of August 16, 2020.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hip osteoarthritis and knee conditions have been granted. The claims for service connection for the Veteran's bilateral knee conditions are being remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for left fifth metatarsal phalangeal joint dislocation residuals with degenerative arthritis is being remanded due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error and the need for a retrospective opinion regarding the functional impairment of the Veteran's joint condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings in excess of the current 10 percent ratings for bilateral hearing loss, right foot degeneration with arthritic changes, left knee degeneration with limitation of flexion, right knee degeneration with limitation of flexion, left knee degeneration with limitation of extension, right knee osteoarthritis with limitation of extension, and right knee meniscal tear have all been denied. The Veteran's hearing loss is rated at 0 percent due to the exceptional pattern in his right ear. His foot and knee disabilities are currently rated as 10 percent each.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy is denied.,The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to August 29, 2013 for the grant of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine and migraine headaches are both denied.,Both back disability and migraine headache claims have been remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's right knee disability was rated at 20 percent, but the Board found that it did not warrant a higher rating due to limited flexion of the knee.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's periodontal disease is not related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.,The VA must provide a VA examination for foot disorders due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist error. The examiner will determine if the current foot disorder is at least as likely as not related to service.,The VA must provide a VA examination for knee disorders due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist error. The examiner will determine if the current knee disorder is at least as likely as not related to service.,The VA must provide a VA examination for back disorders due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist error. The examiner will determine if the current back disorder is at least as likely as not related to service.,The VA must provide a VA examination for elbow disorders due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist error. The examiner will determine if the current elbow disorder is at least as likely as not related to service.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating for his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination.

The Veteran's skin condition and right knee disability were denied, while the claim for service connection for tinnitus was remanded.,The Veteran's skin condition did not meet criteria for a compensable rating. The right knee disability was also denied as it did not show limitation of motion or instability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and a back disability were denied due to lack of new relevant evidence. The Board found that the Veteran did not provide any new evidence that could prove or disprove their claim, and thus, the claims are denied.

The Board has dismissed all appeals due to the appellant's withdrawal of all pending appeals.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in pre-decisional duty to assist, including a lack of VA examination and opinion regarding TMJ disorder and thoracolumbar spine disorder.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right knee condition, including pain, is related to his service-connected left knee condition. The case will be reviewed with a new opinion that considers the relationship between any right knee condition and the Veteran's service-connected left knee condition.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation of his right knee disability was dismissed because the VA Form 10182, which is required to file a substantive appeal, was not timely filed.