Shoulder decisions — 2006

The veteran's initial right shoulder strain and left ankle sprain evaluations have been denied as they do not meet the criteria for a compensable or higher evaluation based on current symptomatology.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities, combined at a 70% rating, render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral knee, ankle, shoulder, and wrist disabilities to obtain additional medical records and to schedule an examination. The veteran's claim will be processed as if his hearing loss request was withdrawn.

The veteran's left shoulder disability was granted an increased rating to 20 percent and an effective date of January 11, 2002. The appeal regarding the earlier effective date for this rating is denied.

The Board has determined that there is no competent medical evidence showing a current right shoulder disorder or low back disorder related to service. Therefore, the claims for service connection are denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the lumbar spine, cervical spine, shoulders, and knees as secondary to his service-connected bilateral pes planus.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities, alone, do not render him unemployable. The evidence does not indicate he is incapable of substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected conditions (hypertension, right shoulder, bilateral calluses).

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions and therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board denied service connection for the veteran's claimed conditions, finding that they were not incurred or aggravated during his active duty due to his own willful misconduct in a motorcycle accident.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations to assess the severity of the veteran's service-connected disabilities. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with other issues on appeal.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for entitlement to service connection for anorexia, a right shoulder disability, a back disability, a heart disability, hypertension, and sinusitis. The decision found that there was no evidence of chronic anorexia during service and no current diagnosis of an eating disorder.

The veteran died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His service-connected conditions did not cause his death, and there is no evidence that PTSD caused the suicide.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for an initial disability rating of 20 percent for his service-connected labral tear, right (dominant) shoulder. The issue of a higher rating for residuals of a left distal fibula fracture remains pending.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and a new orthopedic examination to evaluate the severity of his left shoulder disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU, finding that his right shoulder disability did not warrant an evaluation in excess of 20 percent and that his residuals of fracture, right ring finger did not meet criteria for a compensable rating. The combined rating for service-connected disabilities was found to be 20 percent, which is insufficient to award TDIU.

The Board has granted a higher 20 percent rating for the surgical resection of the left clavicle and awarded an additional 10 percent rating for scars as residuals of the gunshot wound to the left shoulder. The remaining claims for increased ratings are being remanded.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left shoulder impingement syndrome, finding that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for her right shoulder bursitis and low back disability, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation under the applicable rating schedule.

The Board granted an increased rating to 50 percent for PTSD and assigned an effective date of February 18, 1997. The veteran's service-connected disabilities are rated at 60 percent in combination, but do not render him individually unemployable.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional documents to verify the veteran's claim of a jeep rollover accident during service and providing an appropriate VA examination to determine if the veteran currently has residual disability consistent with having had such an accident.