Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for service connection has been granted for Stevens-Johnson syndrome. The Board has also remanded the remaining issues due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is currently rated at 30 percent from May 6, 2021. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for any period during the appeal.

The Veteran is granted entitlement to TDIU as of April 11, 2017 and from August 1, 2015 to April 10, 2017. The claim for TDIU prior to August 1, 2015 is denied.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's hearing loss, PTSD, foot disorders, IVDS, radiculopathy, and shoulder degenerative arthritis. The appellant is seeking an extension of time to respond due to delays in receiving notification letters from VA.

The Veteran's right shoulder condition, including strain, degenerative arthritis, and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, is remanded for further examination and opinion to determine if it is related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis, restrictive ventilatory defect, and multiple musculoskeletal conditions, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted the TDIU claim.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including for sinus disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and knee disabilities. The Board also directed further VA examinations to assess the severity of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability, sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and foot conditions.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 30 percent since December 23, 2019. The earlier effective date of May 1, 2015 for the 30 percent rating assigned for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine has been granted.,The Veteran's left and right shoulder disabilities are each currently rated at 20 percent since the appeal period began on May 1, 2015. The initial ratings in excess of these percentages have not been met.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lumbar spine osteoarthritis was granted, with a disability rating of 30 percent.,Service connection claims for bilateral wrist condition, bilateral hip condition, and bilateral ankle condition were denied.

The Board has granted service connection for left hand osteoarthritis, right hand osteoarthritis, left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, and right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Veteran's PTSD with MDD is not rated higher than 70 percent. From June 1, 2014 to December 3, 2019, the Veteran's DDD with spondylosis of the lumbar spine was granted a 20 percent rating. The Veteran's meniscal and ACL tears status post-surgery with degenerative arthritis of the right knee were granted a 20 percent rating from June 14, 2019. The Veteran's trochanteric pain syndrome of the right hip was granted a 20 percent rating starting from June 19, 2017.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine. However, it denied service connection for bilateral eye disability, diagnosed as cataracts.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, including IVDS and degenerative arthritis, is rated at 20 percent from August 1, 2014 to August 3, 2017.,Cervical radiculopathy of the left upper extremity was granted a separate 30 percent rating effective August 15, 2020. The right upper extremity received a separate 40 percent rating from that date.,Fibromyalgia is rated at its maximum schedular rating (30 percent) throughout the appeal period.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, fibromyalgia, and other joint disorders, as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including new VA examinations.

The Board denied service connection for a right wrist disability, to include osteoarthritis, as the condition clearly and unmistakably pre-existed the Veteran's entrance into active duty and was not aggravated by his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development to determine his periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA service in the Army Reserve. The AOJ must obtain pay stubs from DFAS to confirm these dates.

The Veteran's increased rating claims for migraine headaches, PTSD with major depressive episodes, right hip strain, left knee degenerative arthritis, and right knee degenerative arthritis are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.,The Board has determined that there is a need for updated VA and private treatment records, as well as new VA examinations for the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with major depressive episodes, bilateral knees, and hips.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is rated at 40 percent, but no greater, since October 14, 2019.

The Veteran's right shoulder posttraumatic arthritis, left knee strain, and left knee meniscus tear with osteoarthritis have been granted increased ratings as of January 24, 2015.