Shoulder decisions — 2005

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the veteran for examinations to assess his shoulder disabilities.

The veteran's right shoulder disability is not related to his active service, but he has arthritis of the right hand that may be secondary to a service-connected fracture. His neck and back conditions are not shown during or after service, and hypertension is likely due to PTSD.,An additional VA examination is needed to determine if the veteran's current right shoulder disability is related to an injury sustained in service.

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for a left shoulder disorder, finding that no new and material evidence had been received since the May 1981 RO decision.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding no new and material evidence to reopen a claim for left shoulder disorder. Service connection was not established for right shoulder, low back, right leg, left leg, right knee, left knee cyst and iliotibial band syndrome, or disorders manifested by burning in the arches of the feet.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations for various disabilities, finding no current left ankle disability or other residuals related to service.

The Board found that the veteran does not have neck pain, right arm and shoulder conditions, or conditions of the eyes, ears and nose secondary to contaminated soil. The service-connected degenerative joint and disc disease of the lumbosacral spine is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative arthritis of both shoulders and an increased rating for low back strain, finding no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his service-connected knee disabilities.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations were denied. The Board found that scleroderma was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and the disability manifested by painful joints and fatigue and/or nausea is not related to service or undiagnosed illness.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a right shoulder disability, low back disability, or generalized osteoarthritis that is related to his military service.

The Board denied an effective date earlier than February 25, 1999 for the TDIU rating due to lack of factual ascertainability and absence of a formal or informal claim prior to that date.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to clarify his representation and schedule him for a videoconference hearing. The issues of reopening the left knee disability claim and increasing the right shoulder disability rating are pending.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the current severity of the veteran's left shoulder disability, including any involvement of Muscle Groups I and II. The RO will arrange for a VA orthopedic examination to assess these factors.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities, including multiple orthopedic conditions affecting the same body system, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's claim for increased ratings for his right shoulder disability was denied prior to December 22, 1998 and from March 1, 1999 onwards.,The current rating of 30 percent for the right shoulder disability is also denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board found no current chronic right shoulder disability, including as a manifestation of cervical spine radiculopathy. Therefore, service connection for the claimed condition was denied.

The Board denied a rating in excess of the current 30 percent for postoperative residuals of left shoulder dislocation, finding that the evidence did not support such an increase.

The Board found that the veteran's diabetes mellitus did not have its onset in service and denied his claim for service connection. The Board also noted that there was insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between any current upper back and shoulder disorder or right leg disorder and service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for a left shoulder disability and for service connection of his right shoulder condition. The claim for membranous glomerulonephritis was deferred pending completion of development.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the TDIU claim, finding that it was not factually ascertainable that the veteran's service-connected disabilities precluded employment within one year of the date of claim.