Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for right knee osteoarthritis and right leg pain, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to service. The decision also notes that the Veteran's right lower extremity radiculopathy overlaps with his right leg pain symptoms.

The Veteran's MDD is granted a rating of 70 percent, effective April 5, 2018. The Veteran's TDIU claim for the entire period on appeal is also granted.

The Board dismissed the appeals seeking earlier effective dates for service connection of left knee, PFB, and TBI (Head injury).,The Veteran's claims for service connection of left wrist de Quervain's tenosynovitis, bilateral shin splints, and lumbar spine disability are remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's neck, low back, left shoulder, right shoulder, and right hip disabilities are not service-connected as they did not begin during active service or are otherwise unrelated to service.,The Veteran's TMJ disorder was also denied as it is not service-connected.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's cervical spine disability and its relationship to service. The case will be returned for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing an opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's current neck condition.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities as well as his TDIU claim due to insufficient examination reports and incomplete development.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of various conditions including left hip condition, right hip condition, degenerative arthritis of the spine, sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (posttraumatic stress disorder).

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD is granted. The claim for right knee tricompartmental osteoarthritis is denied. The claim for tinnitus (secondary to service-connected disability) is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for status post right knee arthroscopy with residual osteoarthritis, acquired psychiatric disorder (adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood), and bilateral hearing loss have been granted. The claim for service connection for hepatitis C has been remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to inadequate VA examinations for his musculoskeletal disabilities and hearing loss. The claims are also inextricably intertwined with the issue of service connection for left ear hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for osteoarthritis of the left and right hips, finding that these conditions had their onset during active duty.

The Veteran's thoracic spine disability is granted as secondary to his service-connected low back disability.,Right ear hearing loss is granted and an effective date of September 5, 2000 (but not earlier) for the award of separate ratings for right knee postoperative scars is granted.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine due to insufficient medical opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset of his back pain.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to lack of prior formal or informal claims filed before December 17, 2015.

The Board denied increased ratings for right wrist scapholunate disassociation, spondylosis of the thoracolumbar spine junction with strain and degenerative arthritis, left shoulder strain, radiculopathy in the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy in the left lower extremity.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and denied an initial compensable rating for epididymitis/varicocele. The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is found to have begun during active service, while his epididymitis/varicocele does not meet criteria for a compensable rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 7, 2022.

The Veteran's claim for peripheral neuropathy was denied. The back disability is rated at 40 percent since May 9, 2001. Separate ratings of 20 percent are granted for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the sciatic and femoral nerves respectively. Service connection is established for Haglund's deformities of both heels.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his lumbosacral spine disability and right lower extremity radiculopathy have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right wrist pain, right shin pain, and left shin pain due to a lack of evidence showing current disabilities.,The Board also remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ankle strain (claimed as right ankle pain) and right knee osteoarthritis (claimed as right knee pain), as there is insufficient medical evidence to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.