Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is dismissed. The appeal for a higher disability rating remains pending.

The Veteran's bilateral knee conditions are being remanded for a new examination to assess the current severity of his knees and ensure consistency with the applicable rating criteria.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a left elbow injury was denied in 2002. New evidence has been submitted, and the claim is now reopened. However, further examination is needed to determine if there is a link between the current condition and military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a neck disorder, hypertension secondary to a neck disorder, and neurological disorder of the bilateral upper extremities (BUE) secondary to a neck disorder due to inadequate opinions in prior VA examinations. The case will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's back disability resulted in a separate rating of 20 percent for right lower extremity radiculopathy as of February 2, 2017, and a separate 10 percent rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy as of April 3, 2019. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings prior to August 21, 2015, and in excess of 20 percent thereafter are remanded. The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bleeding ulcers is granted.,Service connection for a right-hand disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder are denied.,An issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder remains pending.

The Board has granted service connection for left elbow osteoarthritis, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his active duty service and have persisted since then.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations are inadequate and remanded for further development, including obtaining new examination reports to address the nature and severity of knee disabilities during flare-ups and the presence of a neurological disability in each lower extremity.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected PTSD, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, right knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss. The appeal is being remanded to allow the AOJ to consider newly received evidence in the first instance.

The Board has remanded the claims for neck disability and radiculopathy of the upper extremities due to insufficient development. The Veteran's current neck disability is not service-connected as there is no evidence linking it to an in-service injury or event, despite credible lay statements of continuity of symptoms since service.

The Board has granted service connection for right knee degenerative arthritis, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his active duty from May 2009 to May 2011. Service connection was denied for bilateral eye disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for his degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on limitation of motion or other functional loss.

The Veteran's right ankle osteoarthritis with tendonitis and sprain is currently rated at 10 percent, but the Board finds no basis for a higher rating. The lumbosacral strain and DDD are remanded due to incomplete records.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability and the STRs do not show any treatment or complaints related to this condition.,Service connection for myocardial infarction is denied because there is no indication that it occurred during active duty, reserve duty, or within one year post-service. The Veteran's STRs are silent on heart problems, and his current diagnosis of a myocardial infarction is not linked to service.,The claim for service connection for PTSD is denied as the Veteran did not have any in-service stressors that were verified by VA and there is no evidence linking his current psychiatric condition to service. The STRs do not show any treatment or diagnoses related to a psychiatric disability.,Service connection for hypertension is denied because there is no indication of hypertension during active duty, and post-service records are negative for this condition. There is also no link between the Veteran's current diagnosis of hypertension and his military service.,The claim for low back disability is remanded as the VA examiner did not consider the Veteran's STRs showing a motor vehicle accident in service that resulted in back pain, nor did they perform any diagnostic testing.,Service connection for right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome is denied because there are no STRs indicating treatment or complaints related to this condition during active duty. The VA examiner also noted the absence of contemporaneous medical records showing evaluation or treatment for the claimed conditions.,Service connection for left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome is denied for similar reasons as right knee, with no STRs indicating treatment or complaints related to this condition during active duty and no diagnostic testing performed by the VA examiner.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings of his service-connected left and right foot disability, as well as PTSD, are being remanded due to the need for new VA examinations.

The Veteran's right hip disability is rated at 10 percent for the period from August 28, 2013 to December 8, 2015. For the period from February 1, 2017, a 70 percent rating is granted for right hip disability post-total arthroplasty.

The Veteran's right foot plantar fasciitis and left knee degenerative arthritis have been granted service connection. The case of recurrent multi joint and muscle disability (fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome) is remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected bowel dysfunction and to clarify which symptoms are due to his service-connected condition versus non-service-connected colon cancer residuals. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with the rating claim.

The Board denied service connection for a degenerative arthritis and disc disease of the lumbar spine, hypertension, and bilateral hearing loss. The remaining issues on appeal were remanded.