Rheumatoid arthritis decisions — 2016

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and granted it, finding that new and material evidence had been received to reopen the claim and establishing service connection based on a continuity of symptomatology since separation from active duty.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected stress fracture of the left 3rd metatarsal.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's in-service noise exposure likely caused his current condition. The appeals regarding rheumatoid arthritis and malaria have been withdrawn by the Veteran. Service connection for a lumbar spine disorder is remanded due to conflicting evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his rheumatoid arthritis is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine which specific joints show objective evidence of pain, and to address the applicability of 38 C.F.R. � 4.59 with regard to the Veteran's claim.

The Board has granted service connection for left lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the service-connected low back disability. The effective date of this award is October 6, 2011, which was the first date the disability was shown by objective evidence.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and a right knee disability, as well as his claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits due to excessive income.

The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes mellitus type II, finding no current disability. The Veteran's prostate cancer was rated based on its severity.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for retained shrapnel in the left eye, benign prostate hypertrophy with urinary incontinence, and diabetes mellitus is granted. Service connection is also granted for renal dysfunction due to diabetes mellitus type II. The Veteran's claim for rheumatoid arthritis is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of rheumatoid arthritis and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied. The claim of service connection for gastrointestinal disability remains pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for osteoarthritis was denied as the condition did not originate in active service and was not caused or aggravated by his service-connected lung cancer and sarcoidosis with pulmonary and lymph node involvement.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for a new examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain, with particular attention to how flare-ups affect his range of motion and ability to function.

The Board finds that there is no current diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. The Veteran's arthritic complaints are attributed to degenerative joint disease caused by hepatitis C.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records, adjudicate the claim for a low back disorder, and schedule a VA neurological examination of his right lower extremity.

The Board finds that there is no current diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis in the Veteran's records, and thus service connection for this condition cannot be granted. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for osteoarthritis of the right ankle remains denied as the evidence does not support a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for an even higher rating for rheumatoid arthritis was granted, and his effective date for the 60 percent rating was set as April 17, 2006. The TDIU claim is deferred pending receipt of a completed application.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to conflicting evidence regarding whether his left hand arthritis is related to service or non-service-connected conditions. The case will be returned for clarification and further examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's left ankle degenerative joint disease did not have its onset in service and is not otherwise etiologically related to his active service. The claim for gout with rheumatoid arthritis was not adjudicated as it was not about service connection at all.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and rheumatoid arthritis due to inextricably intertwined issues. The case is returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's muscle pain and sleep disorder are related to her service-connected chronic fatigue syndrome. The joint disability (rheumatoid arthritis) is found to be related to service.