Shoulder decisions — 2002

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for an eye disorder, residuals of a jaw injury, left hand numbness, and residuals of a right shoulder injury due to lack of evidence of chronic conditions in service or within one year of separation.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a left shoulder disorder as a result of military service and denied his claim.

The veteran's service-connected shoulder, cervical spine, and elbow disabilities were granted initial evaluations.,From January 3, 1995, to February 4, 1998, the veteran was awarded separate evaluations for his right shoulder (20%), left shoulder (20%), cervical spine (10%), and bilateral elbows (10%) conditions.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his right shoulder, right knee, left knee, and left os calcis fracture were denied. The right great toe postoperative ganglion was not evaluated as it did not limit function.

The Board determined that the veteran's claimed left shoulder disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor is it etiologically related to service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his post-operative residuals of a left shoulder dislocation, finding that the current rating of 20 percent is appropriate given the lack of evidence showing ankylosis or limitation of motion to 25 degrees from the side.

The Board has granted increased disability evaluations for gastroesophageal reflux disease, left shoulder disability, and retropatellar pain syndrome of the right knee. The veteran's retropatellar pain syndrome of the left knee is not rated as it does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right hip, shoulder, eye, foot, and knee disorders due to a lack of current evidence demonstrating these conditions.

The Board has determined that the appellant's right shoulder disability was incurred during military service and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board found no additional right shoulder disability resulting from the April 1998 VA surgery, and concluded that there was no fault on VA's part in treating the veteran's condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder, sinusitis, and shoulder injury due to lack of evidence supporting these conditions.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not contribute to his cause of death, which was due to myocardial infarction and metastatic carcinoma and COPD. The Board concluded that there is no medical relationship between such disabilities and the cause of death.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected right shoulder disability is manifested by no more than infrequent episodes of recurrent dislocation and guarded movement only at the shoulder level, warranting a current 20 percent evaluation.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the service-connected left shoulder disability beginning on February 14, 1997 and denied any higher rating.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and a right shoulder disorder, finding that these conditions did not begin during or as a result of his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151, finding no evidence that his current neck and shoulder injuries were caused by a VA-provided right ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) made in October 1997.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disorder and an increased rating for his cervical spine disability, finding that the preponderance of evidence did not support these claims.

The Board denied service connection for capsulitis of the right shoulder and denied an evaluation in excess of 70 percent for PTSD. The appellant's claim was based on current symptoms without evidence linking them to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's bilateral shoulder disorder, neck disorder, and headache disorder were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an effective date prior to February 23, 1993 for service connection of his right knee, hip, and shoulder disorders secondary to a service-connected left knee disorder.