Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, and migraine headaches have been granted. The claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are considered to be so severe that they prevent him from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions are inadequate for adjudicative purposes, and thus remanded the case to obtain further clarification on the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral knee disorders.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities, finding that there was no causal link between his current knee conditions and his active service or any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to evidence of possible worsening of his service-connected left knee disability, and a VA examination is needed to assess the current level of severity.

An effective date of October 26, 2011 for the grant of service connection for PTSD is granted. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's Substantive Appeal was timely filed, allowing him to continue pursuing his claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for various conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings of his knee and ankle disabilities have been denied. The left knee disability remains at a 10% rating, while the right knee disability has been decreased to a 0% rating effective March 6, 2023. The right ankle disability continues to be rated as 10%. There is no indication of service connection via a presumption or reopening on new evidence.

The Board dismissed the issue regarding the propriety of reducing ratings for bilateral wrist CTS. The Veteran's right shoulder condition was denied an increased rating, as there is no evidence of limitation of motion to 25 degrees from the side. The Veteran's right ankle DJD was also denied an increased rating due to lack of marked limitation of motion. The Veteran's right wrist CTS was denied increased ratings since April 1, 2014, and November 1, 2014.,The Board found no evidence of marked limitation of motion in the ankle or shoulder that would warrant a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board has denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of his right ankle disability and has remanded the issue of increased ratings for his neck disability.

The Veteran's left great toe osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis, and calcaneal bursitis are service-connected. A 10 percent rating is granted for the entire appeal period.

The Board denied service connection for a bladder disability, finding that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of a bladder disability during or in close proximity to the appeal period.,The claim for service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability was previously denied due to lack of evidence linking it to service. The new evidence does not provide material information regarding this issue.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and a new examination is needed to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.

The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for cervical spine degenerative arthritis was granted, and he is now receiving a 40 percent rating from March 21, 2011 until January 10, 2013. Special monthly compensation has also been granted.

The Veteran's claim for restoration of the 40 percent rating for osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine is granted. The claims for a higher rating for cervical strain and right lower extremity radiculopathy are denied, but she was granted TDIU effective July 12, 2015.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional VA examination records and development of evidence.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a new medical examination and additional development, including obtaining treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his left and right knee patellar instability, tricompartmental degenerative arthritis based on painful motion, and cartilage damage have been denied due to failure to report for a scheduled VA examination.,Effective dates prior to May 2, 2017, for the grant of initial 20 percent ratings for left and right knee cartilage damage have been granted.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability. The claims of left foot fibroma, right foot fibroma (including postoperative residuals), right foot neuropathy secondary to removal of fibroma, right carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and left CTS are remanded due to the need for further medical examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, migraines, and degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.