Shoulder decisions — 2001

The Board has granted service connection for chronic bilateral foot pain and residuals of a right shoulder injury, finding that the veteran's current conditions are related to her service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability in March 1983, finding that his condition existed prior to service and did not worsen during service. The current decision finds no new and material evidence has been presented since then.

The veteran's combined service-connected disability rating is 70%, and he has overcome his employment handicap by securing and maintaining a job consistent with his abilities, aptitudes, and interests.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and dismissed the appeal regarding memory loss. The veteran's claims for bilateral shoulder and knee disabilities, right otitis media, bilateral eustachian tube dysfunction, and hypertension are pending.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased disability evaluation for his shell fragment wound of the left shoulder and service connection for a back disorder, finding that the current evaluations adequately reflect the severity of these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his right ankle and shoulder disabilities, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen a claim for service connection for residuals of a back injury. The ratings assigned were 20% for the right ankle and 10% for the right shoulder.

The Board denied an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for the veteran's service-connected gunshot wound to the left shoulder, finding that a 10 percent rating adequately reflects his disability.

The Board denied service connection for a right shoulder disorder and the claim to reopen the back disorder was granted based on new evidence.

The veteran's service-connected right shoulder disability and bilateral hearing impairment prevent him from securing and following gainful employment, warranting a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for increased ratings and service connection for various conditions, including osteoarthritis of the lumbosacral spine with radiculopathy, depression, hepatitis B, appendectomy scar, skin rash, hemorrhoids, right wrist keloid, epididymitis, chronic prostatitis, impotency, colon disorder, anemia, and sinusitis. The claims are denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left shoulder tendinitis warrants a 20 percent disability rating, effective from September 14, 1996.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of low back, left shoulder, and skin disabilities affecting his lower legs and neck due to lack of evidence of current disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for his left calf injury and left shoulder disability, finding no evidence of a nexus to service.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied in an October 1996 rating decision. The Board dismissed the appeal due to lack of timely filing and found no new and material evidence to reopen the claims.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left shoulder disorder and bilateral knee arthritis, finding no evidence of such conditions during or related to his military service.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD and entitlement to a TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to participate or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, as he is currently employed in a computer-related field and attending school part-time.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left shoulder disability, which includes a dislocation and limitation of motion, warrants an increased rating to 30 percent.

The Board denied increased evaluations for right posterior shoulder instability and left iliotibial band syndrome, finding that the conditions did not warrant ratings higher than the current noncompensable evaluations.

The Board denied the veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for his service-connected right shoulder strain/neck strain and chronic epididymitis, finding that there was no factually ascertainable increase in severity during the year prior to July 28, 1998.