Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ankle degenerative arthritis, finding that his current condition did not manifest during active service or within one year of active service and was less likely related to his in-service injury.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability, diagnosed as degenerative arthritis, disc disease, and sciatica, is service-connected. The evidence supports a finding that this condition likely began during his military service.

The Veteran's hip disabilities are being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his bilateral hip disabilities.

The Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities, as well as his PTSD, are granted with initial ratings of 20 percent each. The issues of service connection for hearing loss, neck disability, and radiculopathy in the upper extremities have been remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected back, neck and right upper extremity radiculopathy disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development including VA examinations.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain an opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left ankle disability, including whether it is related to service or secondary to his service-connected right knee disability.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for her right wrist tendonitis and degenerative arthritis/joint disease with sacroiliac joint dysfunction of the lumbar spine.,Both conditions were rated under direct service connection criteria, as there is no indication that they are related to a specific exposure or presumption.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for additional development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding his diagnosed musculoskeletal conditions and their relation to service.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, CAD, GERD, bilateral CTS, knee osteoarthritis, shoulder strain, lumbar spine disability, OSA, and skin disorder.,No new evidence or changes in the Veteran's conditions were presented to support these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis with osteoarthritis, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis with IVDS and cervical spine degenerative arthritis with IVDS as these conditions are related to the Veteran's in-service motorcycle accident.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his bilateral knee disabilities due to inadequate medical opinions and failure to comply with prior remand directives.

The Board has remanded the issues of increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, degenerative arthritis of the spine, and service connection for lower extremity radiculopathies. The Veteran's TDIU claim remains pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable for the period on appeal prior to January 24, 2019.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU prior to May 13, 2016 is denied. The Board has also remanded the issues of increased evaluation for low back disabilities and initial evaluations for radiculopathy of the right sciatic and femoral nerves.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee degenerative arthritis with chondromalacia was granted, and the effective date is set at April 4, 2003.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected osteoarthritis of the left knee is remanded due to concerns about worsening symptoms and reduced effectiveness of injections.

The Board granted a 30 percent disability rating for the Veteran's left ankle degenerative arthritis with ankylosis, effective from February 9, 2016.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle condition was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal during his Board Hearing. The Board granted service connection for degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, spinal stenosis, and lumbar-sacral spondylosis.

The Board dismissed the appeal of entitlement to service connection for a right hip disability. The effective date for the award of service connection for right knee osteoarthritis was denied as it is not earlier than September 23, 2014. A compensable evaluation for migraine headaches was denied. For the period prior to March 2, 2020, a 20 percent rating for lumbar spine disability with associated radiculopathy was granted; however, an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity radiculopathy was denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development regarding his knee conditions.,Separate ratings higher than 10 percent are denied for non-LOM symptomatology in both knees.