Rheumatoid arthritis decisions — 2006

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development and notification under the VCAA, including a VA examination.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in loss of use of his hands and feet, qualifying him for assistance in acquiring an automobile or other conveyance with special adaptive equipment.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and degenerative arthritis affecting joints other than the left wrist and right knee.

The Board has determined that the veteran's rheumatoid arthritis is related to service and Agent Orange exposure, granting service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the appellant needed assistance for dressing, bathing, cooking and other activities of daily living due to a left hip fracture and surgery. However, she was not permanently confined to her home or immediate premises by reason of disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for rheumatoid arthritis and esophagitis, as well as his claim for TDIU due to his failure to report for scheduled VA examinations. The secondary service connection claim was also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for his service-connected history of rheumatic fever and service connection for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gouty arthritis. The RO found that there is no current clinical evidence or opinion indicating any current arthritis due to his military service or service-connected history of rheumatic fever.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and hypertension, finding no competent evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that coronary thrombosis was not related to service and that rheumatoid arthritis did not contribute substantially or materially to the cause of death.

The veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations of his degenerative disc disease at L3-4 to L5-S1 and radiculopathy of the left lower leg were denied. The Board also found that there is no legal entitlement to earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA benefits.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an effective date prior to March 21, 1996 for the grant of service connection for dysthymic disorder and for evaluations in excess of 30 percent for dysthymic disorder, as well as for degenerative changes of the left and right wrists due to rheumatoid arthritis.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed hand and back conditions are not related to his service-connected rheumatic fever, and thus denied these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current rheumatoid arthritis or a low back disorder, and these conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for osteoarthritis, claimed as rheumatoid arthritis, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability and noting conflicting statements from the veteran regarding his knee symptoms during service.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for his knee disabilities were denied. The Board found that rheumatoid arthritis was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty, its incurrence or aggravation during active duty may not be presumed, and it is not proximately due to or the result of service-connected disability. For traumatic arthritis of the right knee, a 20 percent rating was restored from the effective date of reduction. Separate ratings of 10 percent for limitation of flexion were granted for both knees. The veteran's claim for an increased rating for internal derangement of the left knee with instability was denied.