Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for right knee disability, finding that his current condition is at least as likely as not related to military service and awarding him a rating.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inconsistencies in the medical opinions regarding whether his left knee disorder was incurred during service. The VA needs to obtain relevant records and provide a clarifying opinion from a clinician.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's left shoulder conditions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for her diagnosed shoulder disorders, which include impingement and degenerative arthritis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and disability ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and verifying herbicide exposure.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, but denied reopening of the hypertension rating claim. The case is remanded to schedule a VA examination for the hypertension.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his left knee disability and service connection for a skin rash due to Agent Orange exposure. The Veteran needs to undergo VA examinations to assess the severity of his knee condition and determine if his skin rash is related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination to address the nature and etiology of his left shoulder disorder and the current severity of his thoracolumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left knee meniscal tear residuals with osteoarthritis is denied as an effective date prior to August 22, 2016, cannot be granted.

The Board has determined that the September 2014 rating decision is not final and the Veteran's claims have been on appeal since then. The Board finds that a remand is warranted for addendum VA opinions to address whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is secondary to his service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or tinnitus, as well as an addendum VA opinion to address whether the Veteran's right and left knee osteoarthritis are related to his in-service jeep accident. The AOJ should also attempt to obtain any outstanding private treatment records.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran, including his testimony at a hearing and a medical opinion from a VA provider. The RO is instructed to obtain additional STRs and schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his current shoulder conditions.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn for issues related to surgical scars post bilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy and service connection for a left arm condition. The remaining claims of entitlement to increased ratings for shoulder disabilities, inguinal hernia, pes planus, and leg conditions are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for tension headaches as secondary to rhinitis. The issues of evaluating the Veteran's lumbar osteoarthritis and left lower extremity radiculopathy are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right knee conditions have been denied. The Board found that the current disability ratings adequately reflect the severity of the Veteran's symptoms and limitations.

Your claim for service connection for right ankle dislocation has been granted, and you are now rated at 20% for the condition. The issue is no longer pending as it was resolved in a January 2020 rating decision.

The Veteran's left knee disability, including degenerative arthritis and a history of partial meniscectomy, is currently rated at 10 percent. The Board found that the current rating adequately reflects the severity of his condition.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection of PTSD was granted. The issues of entitlement to increased disability ratings for headaches, left shoulder DJD and tendonitis, osteoarthritis and chondromalacia of the left knee, and osteoarthritis and chondromalacia of the right knee are remanded due to incomplete records and need for further examination.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle disability, including a right ankle sprain with osteoarthritis and residuals of a right ankle injury. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury during active duty and his current symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder disability, diabetes mellitus type II, and OSA due to conflicting opinions from previous examiners. The Veteran is also seeking TDIU which is inextricably intertwined with these issues.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a right foot disorder has been reopened. His bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to his military service. The claims for back disability and right foot disorder are remanded due to the need for further medical examination.

The Veteran's claim for SMC based on the need for aid and attendance was denied as he did not meet the criteria for such benefits due to his service-connected disabilities. The Board found that the Veteran did not have anatomical loss or use of both feet, nor was he blind in both eyes, permanently bedridden, or so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and assistance from another person.