Shoulder decisions — 2005

The Board has denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected left shoulder injury, finding that a 30 percent rating is the maximum allowed under the schedular criteria.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including left shoulder dislocation, dermatophytosis of feet, chalazion of the left eye, residuals from an eye injury, and decreased visual acuity. The RO assigned a noncompensable evaluation to the veteran's service-connected frostbite in both feet.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, rhinitis, gastritis with GERD, arthritis of both hands, lumbar strain, strained right shoulder with slap lesion, and tinea pedis was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of current disability in any of these conditions.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied across the board. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen any of the previously denied claims, and there was insufficient evidence linking any current disabilities to service.

The Board found that the veteran's current right shoulder disability is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right ankle and right shoulder disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating under any applicable criteria.

The Board found that there was no claim pending at the time of the veteran's death, nor were benefits payable under an existing decision. Therefore, the appellant is not entitled to payment of his father's accrued benefits for the month of August 2001.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left shoulder disability is not related to his service-connected right shoulder disability, and thus denied the claim.

The veteran's right shoulder disability is rated at 40 percent, the highest possible rating under Diagnostic Code 5303 for severe impairment in Muscle Group III.,The veteran's head scar is rated at 10 percent. The Board found that it was tender and painful on examination.

The Board finds that the veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unemployable, and thus denies his claim for TDIU.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have any of the claimed disabilities, and therefore denied his service connection claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right shoulder disability was not incurred or aggravated during his active duty service and therefore denied his claim.

The veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation of his left shoulder disability is dismissed. The case is remanded to determine if the right shoulder disability is secondary to the service-connected left shoulder disability.

The Board denied increased disability evaluations for posttraumatic osteoarthritis of the left shoulder, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right shoulder disability warrants a 10 percent evaluation, as there is no evidence of recurrent dislocation or nonunion of the clavicle or scapula. The initial evaluation remains at 10 percent.

The veteran's claim for a higher evaluation of his left shoulder disability was granted, and the effective date is set from April 2001 to June 12, 2003.

The Board has vacated the previous decision and granted service connection for a bilateral shoulder disorder, but denied increased ratings for traumatic arthritis of the lumbar spine and bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied. The RO also denied an increased rating for PTSD from October 15, 2002.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for muscle tension headaches and a left shoulder disorder, as well as his secondary service connection claims for degenerative arthritis of the elbows, neck, and right shoulder. The appeals were not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed left and right shoulder disabilities are not related to service or service-connected lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis, and thus denied his claims.