Shoulder decisions — 2003

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for left shoulder, right ankle, and right knee disorders due to a lack of evidence showing an in-service injury or disease. The only service-connected disorder is a right knee disorder from August 1988.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death, and the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of these claims.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for compliance with the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 (VCAA).

The Board has ordered further development in the case due to a change in regulations. The veteran's appeal is about determining the appropriate disability rating for his right shoulder disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure to comply with VCAA requirements, including providing a VA examination and ensuring proper notification of the veteran's rights under the law.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection of bilateral retropatellar pain syndrome, back pain and shoulder pain as secondary to service-connected Crohn's disease due to lack of evidence supporting these claims. The veteran was granted service connection for an unfused non-union old fracture of the left navicular bone with degenerative changes.

The veteran is seeking an increased rating for his left shoulder disability, which was initially granted at a 20 percent evaluation. The Board has initiated further development and now requires the RO to consider new evidence before deciding the case.

The Board denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's right shoulder disability and a compensable evaluation for his cystic acne vulgaris with double comedome formation consistent with chloracne, trunk and face.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected cervical spine, thoracolumbar spine, and bilateral shoulder disabilities were denied by the RO. The case is remanded to obtain updated medical records and conduct further examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and found that the veteran's current hearing loss is related to noise exposure during his military service. The other claims are pending further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a right shoulder dislocation and for increased ratings for his chronic low back pain and chronic neck pain. The RO had previously granted service connection for these conditions, but did not assign any specific rating.

The veteran's PTSD resulted in severe social and industrial impairment, warranting a 100% evaluation from April 16, 2001. The RO granted service connection for PTSD and assigned an initial rating of 70 percent effective October 31, 1996.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic back or right shoulder disability during service and denied the veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his military service and have denied all of his claims.

The Board has granted a TDIU rating based on the veteran's service-connected disabilities, which prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder and an increased evaluation for his service-connected residuals of a shell fragment wound to the right shoulder, with retained foreign body and painful scar.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and assigned a rating of 10 percent for hyperthyroidism (Grave's disease), bilateral exophthalmia, and arthritis of the right shoulder.

The Board is reopening the claims for service connection for residuals of a head injury, including a visual disability, and for a disability of the left ulnar nerve, including post-traumatic numbness of the 4th and 5th digits. Additional development is needed to properly adjudicate these issues.

The appeal is being remanded for additional development of the veteran's medical records and a VA examination to determine the nature, extent, and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The veteran's appeal was dismissed as he withdrew his appeal in writing, and no justiciable case or controversy remained.