Rheumatoid arthritis Board decisions

The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis prior to February 25, 1997 was rated at 60 percent and the claim for an evaluation in excess of this rating is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis, claimed as a residual of cold injuries to the upper and lower extremities is denied because there is no clear indication that it was caused by exposure to cold during service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to allow for additional evidence to be reviewed by the RO.

The Veteran claims that his rheumatoid arthritis developed due to improper medication administration at the VA medical center in August 2002. The Board has remanded the case for further development and opinion from a physician regarding causation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of cold injury of the extremities is granted. Service connection was not established based on a presumption, but rather on direct evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's pleural effusion requiring thoracotomy, decortication, and chest tube placement is not related to his period of active military service or any incident therein.

The Board found that the Veteran did not serve on active duty during a period of war, thus denying his claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus, rheumatoid arthritis, back problems, and knee problems have been denied as there is no evidence to support these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active military service.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected disabilities were granted, with the effective date being May 20, 2008.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining service treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome of the right and left upper extremities, erectile dysfunction, a lung disability, and tinnitus as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus. The appellant's claims were not supported by sufficient evidence or medical opinion.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability. However, he had been rated as 100% disabled for over ten years prior to his death and thus qualifies for DIC benefits under the provisions of 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current rheumatoid arthritis is not related to her military service and thus denied her claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the issues of service connection and TDIU.

The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis and left hip replacement are granted as service-connected. The Board finds that the Veteran's back and neck disorders, if present, are at least as likely as not due to her service-connected rheumatoid arthritis.

The Veteran's rheumatoid arthritis was initially rated as 20 percent disabling prior to February 11, 2009 and increased to 40 percent disabling since then.,The Veteran's left axilla scar was initially noncompensable prior to February 11, 2009 and subsequently rated at 10 percent disabling.

The Board found that the Veteran's lumbar strain does not warrant a higher than 20 percent disability rating. The Veteran was denied entitlement to TDIU due to lack of meeting schedular criteria for consideration under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a).

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling VA examinations to address the appellant's claims of service connection for arthritis and an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for anxiety disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, of multiple joints. The evidence did not support a finding that the current arthritic conditions are related to service.

The Board denied the petition to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for residuals of rheumatic fever, finding that new and material evidence had not been received.