Shoulder decisions — 2003

The veteran's claim for service connection for left shoulder replacement was granted by the RO in October 2000, effective July 24, 2000. The Board found that an earlier effective date is not legally permissible due to the lack of a prior informal or formal claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis A, B, and C, as well as disabilities of the left knee and shoulders due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found no medical evidence linking the current left shoulder impairment with service, and denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected shrapnel wound scar of the left shoulder does not warrant a higher rating, as it is currently evaluated at the maximum schedular evaluation.

The veteran is seeking effective dates prior to January 31, 1990 for the award of special monthly compensation at the rate payable pursuant to 38 U.S.C.A. § 1114(r)(1) and prior to August 29, 1994 for service connection and a 40 percent rating for urethral strictures. The Board finds that the veteran's claims are denied as there is no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in previous decisions.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed sinusitis and right shoulder disabilities did not have their onset during service, nor are they related to any incident in service. The evidence does not support a finding of chronicity or continuity of symptomatology.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a Travel Board hearing. The veteran's claims regarding left shoulder disability, low back disability, and right hand condition are still under review.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board denied service connection for a hip disability and left shoulder disability, but granted service connection for headaches.,Service-connected allergic rhinitis is currently rated at 30 percent.

The Board has remanded the TDIU issue due to insufficient evidence regarding the current effect of service-connected disabilities on the veteran's ability to work. The case will be returned to the RO for further evaluation.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and his superficial metal foreign body wound of the back of the neck warrants a compensable evaluation. The left shoulder shell fragment wound and metallic foreign body wound of the volar surface of the left wrist do not warrant compensable evaluations. The shrapnel wound scar of the scrotum is also rated at 70 percent.

The veteran's appeal for service connection on three issues was dismissed due to the lack of a timely filed Substantive Appeal.

The VA denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's service-connected post-operative residuals of the right shoulder due to recurrent dislocations, currently rated at 10 percent.

The RO increased the rating for the left shoulder disability to 20 percent and the rating for the left ankle to 10 percent, both effective from July 8, 1999.

The veteran's claim for a total rating due to individual unemployability resulting from service-connected disabilities is granted. The issue of the timeliness of his appeal regarding the June 1998 increased rating decision for his left shoulder disability is dismissed.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and TDIU, finding that the evidence did not support such a determination.

The Board found that the veteran's current bilateral foot disorder and right shoulder disorder are not related to his active service, including any right ankle disorder during service. The claims for service connection were denied.

The veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claims of service connection for joint pain, a skin rash, memory loss and headaches due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 20 percent for service-connected degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the left shoulder, finding that the veteran's symptoms did not warrant a higher evaluation.

The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral elbow disorder, bilateral shoulder disability, cellulitis of the left thigh, and pulmonary tuberculosis were denied as there is no current evidence of these conditions. The claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss was granted as within normal limits.