Shoulder decisions — 2003

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right knee and ankle disabilities, as well as a claim for a compensable rating for his left shoulder injury. The RO had provided all required notice and obtained all relevant evidence necessary for equitable disposition of the appeal.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded to the RO for additional development.

The veteran's appeal for an increased rating for his gunshot wound residuals has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board found that the veteran's postoperative right shoulder dislocation does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher evaluation, and thus denied his claim for an increased rating.

The Board finds that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute substantially to his death. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that any of his service-connected conditions caused or contributed to his terminal cardiopulmonary arrest and myocardial infarction.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for the service-connected right shoulder disability, which is more than the current 20 percent rating. The decision also notes that no higher rating can be assigned due to lack of additional symptoms warranting such a rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of a shell fragment wound (SFW) of the left shoulder warrant a 20 percent rating, reflecting moderate impairment in muscle function.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right and left knee retropatellar syndromes, as well as his bilateral shoulder osteoarthritis. The RO had previously assigned a 10 percent rating to each condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder disorder, finding no evidence of any currently diagnosed condition related to service.

The veteran's left shoulder disability, rated at 30 percent since March 9, 2000, is considered severe due to marked limitation of motion and associated pain. The current rating reflects the highest possible under applicable diagnostic codes for muscle injuries resulting from shrapnel wounds.

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

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for his left shoulder disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation.

The veteran's postoperative left shoulder condition, characterized by severe degenerative changes and ulnar radicular changes, is currently rated at 20 percent.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability, finding that there is no competent evidence showing a current disability related to his in-service injury and noting that any chronic right shoulder disorder was not shown until decades after discharge from active duty.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected residuals of a fracture of the left distal tibia, right shoulder acromioclavicular joint disability, and right knee scar. The TDIU rating claim is also denied.

The veteran's claim for earlier effective dates for his service-connected disabilities and TDIU is being remanded to the RO for further development.

The Board has granted a 20 percent rating for the veteran's right shoulder dislocation with traumatic arthritis and peripheral neuropathy, effective from May 23, 2001.

The Board has granted service connection for a chronic right shoulder disability and maintained the current rating of 10 percent for hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease and duodenitis.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence to reopen the previously denied claim for entitlement to service connection for a right shoulder disability has been submitted. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a right shoulder disability will be the subject of a later decision after completion of additional development.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection as there is no evidence of current disabilities involving the upper back and shoulders, and the VA examination did not show any abnormalities.