Rheumatoid arthritis decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information regarding the Veteran's employment status and lack of completed VA Form 21-8940. The Veteran is currently employed as a full-time mental health and certified substance use disorder counselor for six years, but further details are needed.

The Veteran's service connection claims for rheumatoid arthritis, a respiratory disability (including asthma and obstructive chronic bronchitis), and left eye amblyopia have been granted. The appeals are remanded for further development regarding other issues.

The Board has found the VA examinations and opinions to be incomplete due to a lack of consideration of exposure to burn pits during service. The Veteran's claim is remanded for another examination that addresses his lay assertions of continued symptoms since service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and medical opinions regarding the Veteran's left and right foot disabilities, including whether they are related to service or aggravated by her service-connected rheumatoid arthritis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and consideration of the issues related to his service-connected conditions, including bruxism (claimed as teeth grinding), migraine headaches, PTSD, lumbar strain, reactive airway disease, rheumatoid arthritis of the bilateral knees, tinnitus, restless leg syndrome, left elbow chronic epicondylitis, right foot plantar fasciitis, allergic rhinitis, status-post right 4th metacarpal fracture, bilateral shin splints, erectile dysfunction, scars on the bilateral knees and left elbow, right great toe onychomycosis, and acne.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, rheumatoid arthritis, and hypertension have been reopened. The Board found new and material evidence to support the reopening of these claims.

The Board has remanded several service connection claims due to incomplete development and the need for additional medical opinions. The Veteran's hyperlipidemia, dyslipidemia (abnormal fat disposition), hypertension, glucose intolerance, anemia, left ventricular hypertrophy, fatty liver disease, splenomegaly, right groin muscle strain, RLE varicose veins, LLE varicose veins, and RLE venous insufficiency are all being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction was denied due to failure to report for a scheduled VA examination.,Service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, claimed as joint pain, was denied because the evidence did not establish a nexus between the condition and active service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right hip disabilities, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis have been reopened. Service connection has been granted for these conditions.,A rating of 20 percent for a lumbar spine disability is granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for lumbar strain, right shoulder strain, and right knee strain due to incomplete VA examinations. The Veteran's radiculopathy of the lower extremities are also being remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the other claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disorder, including gout, pes planus, hallux valgus, plantar fasciitis, degenerative arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis is remanded due to incomplete opinions in the previous VA examination. Additional development is needed to determine if these conditions are related to his military service or any service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's gout of the bilateral ankle, bilateral foot and toes, and right knee is rated as 10 percent disabling. The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right lower extremity is rated as 20 percent disabling; his radiculopathy of the left lower extremity is also rated as 20 percent disabling. Both conditions are granted a higher initial rating to 60 percent.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied because he did not submit a completed VA Form 21-8940 to support his application, and there is no indication in the evidence of record that he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claimed disabilities are not service-connected as they were not shown during or within one year after his military service, and there is no credible evidence of herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disorder is caused or aggravated by his service-connected right and left ankle disorders.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, right shoulder disorder, BUE radiculopathy, lumbar spine disorder, and BLE radiculopathy due to inadequate medical opinions addressing causation and aggravation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to uncertainty about whether his rheumatoid arthritis pre-existed service and if so, whether it was aggravated by military service. The issues of service connection for lumbar spine disorder, left shoulder disorder, and right shoulder disorder are also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and procedural errors, including a lack of a VA examination addressing the secondary service connection claim for rheumatoid arthritis. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with the other claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequacies in the VA examiners' opinions and other issues raised by the Court. The appellant asserts that rheumatoid arthritis may be related to service-connected residuals of a left femur fracture with left hip and left knee arthritis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for spondylolysis of the thoracolumbar spine and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity (LLE) due to inadequate examination reports. The cases are being returned to the AOJ for further development.