Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and consideration of lay statements regarding his knee symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for left leg varicose veins as secondary to his service-connected degenerative arthritis, left knee with meniscal tear due to disagreement over whether the varicose veins were aggravated by the knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, but the appeal is remanded for further development on other issues including hypertension, chronic fatigue syndrome, thyroid disability, low back disability, and degenerative arthritis.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of low back, left hip, and right hip conditions due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claim for degenerative joint disease affecting areas other than the thoracolumbar spine and bilateral hips is also denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left and right knee disabilities, as well as the issue of entitlement to a TDIU prior to December 28, 2011, are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding his left shoulder and left knee disabilities. The VA will schedule him for appropriate examinations to determine if ankylosis is present in either joint.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for right knee disability and service connection for obstructive sleep apnea are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding functional loss during flare-ups and the relationship between his service-connected disabilities and OSA.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee osteoarthritis and ischemic heart disease has been granted. The appeal is also remanded for further development regarding the residuals of right hip replacement.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied because he did not submit a completed VA Form 21-8940 to support his application, and there is no indication in the evidence of record that he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis of the spine is granted a 40 percent rating, but no higher. The issue of a separate rating for a neurological disability in the bilateral lower extremities is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, including pes planus, Morton's neuroma, metatarsalgia, hammer toes, hallux valgus, plantar fascitis, and degenerative arthritis, based on the evidence showing that these conditions are related to in-service foot pain.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder strain with impingement syndrome, limitation of motion was denied as the evidence did not support such an increase.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating greater than 40 percent for thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis is denied.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU is granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left knee condition, right knee condition, and low back condition due to insufficient opinions regarding their relationship to service.

The Veteran's service-connected lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis disability rendered him unable to obtain and sustain substantially gainful employment effective December 16, 2015.

The Veteran's left knee disability and heart condition have been denied.,The Veteran's hammertoes with gout and right knee strain are being remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claimed disabilities are not service-connected as they were not shown during or within one year after his military service, and there is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Veteran was able to maintain employment at a university despite his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and foot conditions. The Board found the evidence did not support a TDIU prior to August 16, 2020.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and insufficient information regarding range of motion testing. A new VA examination is required.

The Veteran's left foot osteoarthritis is granted as incurred in the line of duty during active duty for training. The issue of an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative arthritis of the spine is remanded.