Shoulder decisions — 2005

The veteran's left knee disorder, GERD and gastric polyps, skin disorder, right leg tumor, back disorder, and peripheral neuropathy of the hands and shoulders were not incurred in or aggravated by active service.,There is no competent medical evidence linking any of these conditions to his military service.

The veteran is seeking increased disability ratings for his service-connected right shoulder and recurrent neck pain disabilities. The Board finds that additional development of the record, including obtaining medical records from private providers and a VA examination, is necessary before deciding these claims.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection were denied. The claim to reopen a back injury disability was remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for various conditions and assigned initial compensable ratings, with the exception of irritable bowel syndrome which remains noncompensably disabling.

The Board finds that the veteran's residuals of a right ankle fracture had their origins during service and grants service connection for this condition. The other issues on appeal are denied as they do not meet the criteria for direct service connection.

The veteran's service-connected conditions have been granted initial evaluations of 10 percent each, effective August 2000.

The veteran has withdrawn their appeal, and the case is dismissed.

The veteran's service-connected left shoulder disorder does not meet the criteria for a TDIU as it is rated at 30% and his other nonservice-connected conditions prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current disability of chronic bronchitis and denied his claim for service connection. The right shoulder injury was also denied as there is no medical evidence linking it to service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for back and right shoulder disabilities, finding new and material evidence. The claims are being remanded to determine if these conditions are related to active military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for service connection or increased ratings.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis of multiple joints to include the spine, shoulders, hips, ankles, and wrists, as well as a rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected trapezitis of the left side of the back. The Board found that the veteran's arthritis was not present during service or for many years later and is not causally related to an incident of service or to his service-connected trapezitis.

The Board has granted service connection for a left shoulder strain disability but denied the claim for an initial compensable rating for hemorrhoids.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for dermatitis of the hands and a right shoulder disability, finding no evidence to support these conditions as being related to his military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected osteoarthritis of the right shoulder, currently rated at 20 percent. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities remains pending.

The Board found no evidence of current arthritis of the elbows or shoulders, and concluded that these conditions were not incurred in service.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims of service connection for low back disability and denied his claims for bilateral shoulder disability and bronchitis.

The Board determined that the veteran's right shoulder disorder existed prior to service and was not aggravated during his first period of active duty, thus denying service connection.

The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for cervical spine degenerative disc disease, thoracic outlet syndrome on the right, and thoracic outlet syndrome on the left.