Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board found that the Veteran's current right shoulder disability, including strain, tendonitis, and osteoarthritis, did not have its onset during active service or within one year of separation. The evidence does not support a finding that the condition was incurred in service.

The Board has determined that additional records are needed from the Veteran's federal disability retirement and VA treatment providers to properly adjudicate his claims. The cases are being remanded for these purposes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a lumbar spine disability and degenerative arthritis, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that led to these conditions. The Board also found no secondary service connection due to diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran is granted a 60 percent rating for left total knee replacement with history of degenerative arthritis, effective November 1, 2016.,The Veteran is also granted entitlement to TDIU based on his service-connected left knee disability, effective November 1, 2016.

The Veteran's back disability has been rated at 10 percent since June 2, 2016. The Board granted restoration of the 20 percent rating for his service-connected back disability.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral shin splints and right knee osteoarthritis with Baker's cyst, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that caused the current disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral wrist and right ankle disabilities due to inadequate VA examination opinions. The Veteran is presumed competent to report her symptoms, but the prior examinations did not consider her lay statements or medical history.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to conflicting opinions regarding whether the Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis is related to his service-connected left tibia osteoma or if it developed from aging. The examiner needs to provide an opinion on both causation and aggravation.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for bilateral knee pain, right great toe pain, and tinnitus due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives regarding scheduling new examinations and obtaining Social Security Administration records.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's diagnosed degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, finding that there is credible and competent evidence of continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board denied service connection for a right knee disability, finding no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that caused the current condition.

The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder with right lower extremity radiculopathy, finding that her injury occurred during active duty and was caused by an in-service event.

The Veteran's right knee degenerative arthritis is rated at a maximum of 30 percent under Diagnostic Code 5260 and a separate 10 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 5261, resulting in a combined 60 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's claim for higher initial ratings for his service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine was denied. The effective date for the award of service connection is set at April 29, 2010.,For the period prior to January 24, 2011, the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent.,From January 24, 2011, through September 10, 2015, the Veteran's condition did not warrant a disability rating higher than 20 percent.,Starting from September 11, 2015, the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine did not meet the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 40 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for a right ankle condition, finding that the current right ankle degenerative arthritis is at least as likely as not caused by active duty service.

The Board has determined that the VA examination is inadequate and remands for a new opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's left hip degenerative arthritis, as well as whether it is related to his service-connected back disorder.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia due to missed VA examinations. The Veteran's symptoms may be related to his service-connected conditions, but further examination is needed.

The Board has determined that the VA medical opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral hip and lumbar spine disabilities are inadequate for purposes of adjudication. The secondary service connection opinions note an association between the Veteran's bilateral hip and lumbar spine disabilities, and his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities, but find no causative relationship has been established. The Board finds this to be conclusory as the examiner has provided no rationale to support these opinions. Moreover, the examiner did not provide an opinion as to whether the claimed bilateral hip and lumbar spine disabilities have been aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disabilities. Therefore, remand is warranted for further VA medical opinions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to unclear periods of service and a need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's low back disorder is related to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hypertension due to new evidence submitted by the appellant.