Shoulder decisions — 2006

The Board finds that the veteran's claimed conditions, including right shoulder bursitis, degenerative arthritis of bilateral hips, and degenerative arthritis of bilateral knees, are not related to his military service. The claim for plantar fasciitis of the right foot is also denied.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities have resulted in a 100% schedular rating as of December 9, 2005. The Board has determined that the preponderance of evidence is against his claim for TDIU due to these conditions.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. His right ear hearing loss was rated as noncompensable, his Meniere's disease claim was not addressed due to lack of evidence, and he did not have a lung disability or shoulder/knee disabilities related to military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder disability and prolactinoma tumor, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The veteran seeks an increased rating for his service-connected left shoulder disability, which currently is rated at 20 percent. The Board has remanded the case to allow for further examination and readjudication of the claim.

The Board denied service connection for multiple disabilities claimed as due to herbicide exposure, finding that the veteran's conditions are not related to his military service or presumed exposure.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development to determine if the veteran's current right shoulder, elbow, knee, and lumbar spine disabilities are related to his military service or a service-connected disability.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, left shoulder disability, and right shoulder disability. The maximum schedular rating of 10 percent was assigned for each condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of a right shoulder injury are due to service and grants this claim. The back disorder and right hip disorder claims will be held in abeyance pending further development.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and right shoulder disorder, as well as his request for an increased rating for low back disorder. The evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board found that the evidence did not establish improvement in the veteran's cervical disc herniation at the time of the reduction from a 40 percent to a 30 percent evaluation, and thus denied the claim for restoration of the higher rating.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The RO has already assigned the maximum available rating (10%) for tinnitus, and left ear hearing loss is rated at zero percent.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a head injury and bilateral shoulder injuries, as well as his attempt to reopen a claim for left knee disability. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic low back disorder and a chronic right hip disorder. The low back disorders are related to his service-connected disabilities, while the right hip disorder is not linked to any exposure basis.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected paralysis of the long thoracic nerve with impingement syndrome of the right shoulder and arthritis of the right shoulder, finding that the evidence did not support a rating in excess of 20 percent for either condition.

The Board has determined that the veteran's cervical spine disability and right shoulder disability were not incurred in or aggravated by service, and thus denied both claims.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his right shoulder disability is denied due to failure to report for a scheduled VA examination.,The veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for hemorrhoids from October 28, 2002 is also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for increased ratings of his service-connected right shoulder and low back disabilities, finding that no evidence was submitted prior to February 25, 2002, consistent with a claim for such increases.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for depression, hypertension, arthritis of the shoulders, and a respiratory disorder (COPD). However, the preponderance of evidence does not support these claims as they were not present in service or are not related to military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right shoulder, left shoulder, neck, and knee disorders are service-connected as direct service connection was established based on in-service injury.