Rheumatoid arthritis decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for urinary incontinence, RA, right and left lower extremity radiculopathy disorders, right foot skin disorder, left foot skin disorder, and right lower extremity disorder (metatarsalgia, hallux rigidus, shin splints) due to inadequate examination opinions. Additional development is needed.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis of the left shoulder, left hand, and left foot as there is no evidence that these conditions began during or were otherwise related to active service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis of multiple joints due to conflicting medical opinions from a VA examiner.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis as secondary to their service-connected collagenous colitis, finding that the evidence is in equipoise and resolving all doubts in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development to address whether the Veteran's cervical spine disability and bilateral hand disability are related to his service-connected disabilities, including obesity as an intermediate step.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding his in-service combat-related injury and its impact on his current disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia (including fibromyositis), Lyme disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and osteoporosis due to incomplete compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran's appeal regarding a referral for aquatherapy to treat his service-connected rheumatoid arthritis has been dismissed because medical determinations are not within the Board's jurisdiction.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete VA treatment records and new theories of entitlement raised by the Veteran. The claims will be reconsidered with additional evidence and opinions.

The Veteran's claims for higher rating, SMC based on need for aid and attendance or housebound status, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and information.

The Board has granted an initial evaluation of 100 percent for Reiter's syndrome from April 16, 2001 to September 21, 2015, finding that the disability more nearly approximated rheumatoid arthritis with constitutional manifestations associated with active joint involvement that were totally incapacitating.

The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection. The cases of rheumatoid arthritis, gouty arthritis, cervical spine disorder, penis deformity and loss of erectile power, and benign prostatic hypertrophy are all remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, recurrent sleep disorder, and lumbar spine disability due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's diagnosed right upper extremity arthritic disabilities and his service-connected conditions. The Veteran will need further VA examination to determine if his rheumatoid arthritis is related to his active service or any other condition.

The Veteran's lumbar spine, bilateral hand, right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, and left knee disabilities are service-connected. GERD, sleep apnea, and breathing disorder were not found to be related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), left hand arthritis, right hand arthritis, and left wrist rheumatoid arthritis are remanded due to the need for additional development regarding exposure to herbicide agents during his military service.

The Veteran's claims for cervical radiculopathy of the upper extremities and degenerative arthritis of the spine are remanded due to lack of recent VA treatment records.,The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus type II is remanded as there were no recent private medical records submitted.,The Veteran's claim for degenerative arthritis of the hands, with ununited fracture ulnar styloid on the right, is remanded due to lack of recent VA treatment records.,The Veteran's claim for gout, bilateral great toe MTP joint, is remanded as there were no recent private medical records submitted.,The Veteran's claim for left ankle insertional Achilles tendinopathy with gout is remanded due to inadequate nexus opinion on the part of the VA examiner.,The Veteran's claim for hypertension is remanded as there was no current diagnosis in the October 2021 VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for nummular eczema is remanded due to an inadequate nexus opinion based on the absence of a presumptive condition list.,The Veteran's claim for prostate condition is remanded due to an inadequate nexus opinion based on the absence of a presumptive condition list.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and osteoarthritis due to inadequate medical opinions in the prior decision.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, right knee disability, and right shoulder disability. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions are related to service or any other compensable cause.