Rheumatoid arthritis decisions — 2022

The Board has granted a TDIU for the period from November 19, 2013 to July 24, 2016. The issue of entitlement to a TDIU prior to November 19, 2013 is remanded due to lack of finality in previous rating decisions.

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 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.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to an administrative error in the submission of a modernized review system form, and the case is now under the legacy system.

The Board denied service connection for rheumatoid arthritis as there is no current diagnosis of the condition in the record.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis and an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD (including depression and anxiety). The decision found that there was no evidence to support a nexus between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if any arthritic condition, including sarcoid arthropathy and rheumatoid arthritis, is related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for sciatica of the left leg and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records from Mid-Columbia Medical Center and Workers Compensation.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for cervical DDD/DJD and radiculopathy of the right upper extremity associated with cervical DDD and DJD due to service, as well as any aggravation by his service-connected bilateral knee disability. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as his claim for an increased rating for left hand injury. The case will be returned to the Board for further review.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathies, right and left knee disabilities, hypertension, otitis media of the right ear, and onychomycosis of both feet. Additionally, a mental disorders examination is required to determine if he has PTSD or other psychiatric conditions related to his military service.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted effective July 21, 2009. The Board found the Veteran was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected back condition.