Shoulder decisions — 2005

The Board found no evidence of a right shoulder disability in service or for many years after service, and concluded that the current condition is not related to active military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development due to equivocal assessments about his left shoulder disability and functional limitations.

The Board has determined that there was CUE in the August 1969 rating decisions and reversed them, assigning separate ratings for left and right lower leg wounds. The veteran is now entitled to a combined 100% disability rating effective from June 23, 1969.

The Board denied the veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for his service-connected disabilities, including scars of the chin and forehead, right ulnar neuropathy, left shoulder impingement, and a total evaluation based on individual unemployability. The effective date for each condition was confirmed as November 7, 1994.

The VA determined that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied his claim for service connection for the cause of death.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and nexus opinion regarding the veteran's right shoulder disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various disorders, including a right shoulder disorder, neck disorder, left arm disorder, and knee disorders. The decision also denied his request to reopen a previously denied claim for a right shoulder separation.

The Board found that the veteran's left shoulder disability, including arthritis, was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service and is not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim of service connection for a right shoulder condition, finding that there is no evidence linking his current condition to his active service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current right shoulder disability related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for a temporary total rating (T/TR) for convalescence following surgery for right shoulder arthralgia due to undiagnosed illness is denied as the veteran does not have basic eligibility for this benefit.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a low back disability and a right shoulder disability due to incomplete development of the record.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for his service-connected left shoulder disorder, finding that the objective medical evidence did not show limitation of motion warranting a higher evaluation.

The VA denied increased ratings for the veteran's bilateral shoulder conditions, currently evaluated as 20 percent disabling.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims due to the need for additional records and information.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities, including glaucoma, arthritis of the left shoulder, hypertension, asthma, and lipomas of the thighs, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The appeal is granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current arthritis, including in his fingers, hands, arms, shoulders, hips, legs, and lower extremities, as well as degenerative joint disease of the spine, was not incurred or aggravated by service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a chronic left shoulder disability, finding that there was no evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The VA denied an increased evaluation for the veteran's residuals of a shell fragment wound of the right shoulder, currently rated at 20 percent.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the severity of her service-connected disabilities and obtain relevant medical records.