Rheumatoid arthritis decisions — 2021

The Board has granted service connection for right and left hand disabilities, finding that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's right knee, right ankle, and left ankle disabilities have been granted increased ratings of 20 percent each since September 29, 2008. The TDIU claim prior to April 10, 2017 has also been granted.

The Board has remanded two issues: evaluating the Veteran's service-connected left knee and left hip disabilities. The VA examinations are considered inadequate due to internal inconsistencies, and a new examination is required.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a neck disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and throat disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence of an in-service injury or illness related to these conditions, and that any current conditions were not caused by military service.,Specifically, the VA examiner noted that the Veteran did not have a diagnosed neck condition during his active duty, and that his current neck disorders are more likely due to rheumatoid arthritis. The GERD diagnosis was attributed to chronic use of medications for rheumatoid arthritis. No throat disorder was found on examination.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including blindness, glaucoma, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, shoulder pain, elbow and wrist swelling, toe numbness, leg numbness, jaw joint pain, hip joint swelling, knee and ankle pain, bilateral pes planus, foot bunions, rib fracture discomfort, hand weakness, left hand swelling, tonsillitis, dizzy spells, fatigue, pharyngitis, allergy disorder, breathing disorder, sleep apnea, heart condition, ulcer, gastritis, gastrointestinal problems, GERD, kidney disorder, lipoma, obesity, arm numbness and pain, and finger numbness. The Board found that the evidence did not support service connection for these conditions.,The Veteran's TBI claim is also denied as there was no in-service head injury or related condition.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and radiculopathy, bilateral lower extremities. The lumbar spine disability is found to be related to military service, while the radiculopathy is considered secondary to the lumbar spine disability.

The Board has denied service connection for depression and substance abuse, but has remanded the issues of service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus due to a lack of evidence.

The Veteran's left knee and right foot disabilities have been denied as service-connected.,The Veteran's left foot disability has also been denied as service-connected.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to April 17, 2019 for service connection of a painful scar status post stab wound, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, and radiculopathy of the left upper extremity. The effective date for each condition is set at April 17, 2019.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection claims were denied. The reduction in evaluation from 60% to 20% was upheld, but the effective date of this reduction is not specified.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for a left knee disability is granted at 20 percent. The right knee disability remains remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and psoriatic arthritis due to inadequate examination and lack of substantial compliance with prior remand directives.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back disability, right upper extremity disability, left upper extremity disability, right lower extremity disability, and left lower extremity disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for pulmonary fibrosis, rheumatoid lung disease, and mediastinal nodes as they are considered part of the Veteran's already granted interstitial lung disease.

The Veteran's back disability is rated at 20 percent, and his radiculopathies of the LLE and RLE are each rated at 10 percent. The appeal for higher ratings remains denied.

The Board has remanded the claims due to insufficient opinions regarding service connection for autoimmune disorders, myasthenia gravis, and peripheral neuropathy. The cause of death claim is also deferred until further development on these issues.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for a lumbar spine disability and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The case is being remanded for further development, including obtaining private medical records and providing a retrospective opinion regarding the severity of the Veteran's back disability at the time of the January 2019 VA examination.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received for the claims of service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis of bilateral upper extremities, and osteoarthritis of bilateral lower extremities. The claims are therefore reopened. Further evaluation is needed to determine if these conditions are related to active service.

Your increased rating claims for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine at L3-4, L4-5 and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity have been dismissed as part of an earlier legacy appeal. The Board is not considering these issues separately.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU on an extra-schedular basis prior to schedular eligibility for the period prior to July 26, 2010 is denied. The Board found that his service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to their combined evaluation of 30 percent. The appeal for secondary service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and low back condition are remanded.