Shoulder decisions — 2006

The Board has ordered the RO to obtain medical records from the San Patricio VA Hospital, which is now part of the VAMC in San Juan. The claim for service connection will be remanded and reviewed with these new records.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected post-traumatic degenerative joint disease of the left shoulder was denied. The reduction in rating from 20 percent to 10 percent, effective December 1, 2001, is also denied.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a skin rash, weakness, pain in extremities (specifically shoulder pain), back condition, sinusitis, and nervous condition and sleeping problems, all claimed as due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board denied the claims for increased ratings and earlier effective date, finding that the appellant's service-connected scars did not warrant a rating in excess of 10% or an effective date prior to April 4, 2002.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding his claimed conditions and theories of entitlement.

The veteran's service-connected right shoulder disability was manifested by constant loose movement from May 31, 2000 to March 18, 2002, and he is therefore entitled to a 20 percent evaluation for this period.

The VA has granted a 20 percent rating for the service-connected degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine, effective from March 1, 2004. The claim for an increased rating for arthritis of the right shoulder was denied.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have a low back disorder or right shoulder disorder related to service.,New and material evidence has not been presented to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for sinusitis.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a shoulder disorder, an eye disorder, a tooth disorder, and a right lower extremity disability manifested by numbness. Service connection was granted for Addison's disease secondary to the veteran's service-connected low back disability.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral shoulder disorder and residuals of a cold injury to the left hand, as well as a compensable initial rating for residuals of a left hand injury. The veteran does not have currently diagnosed conditions related to these issues.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed conditions, including left knee disability, hemorrhoids, respiratory disability (manifested by shortness of breath), neck disability, and shoulder disability, were not incurred or aggravated during active service. The Board found no evidence to support presumptive service connection based on exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, radiation, Gulf War Syndrome, or the Presumption of Exposure Act.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in an August 1994 rating decision that established effective dates for separate compensable ratings for right knee and left shoulder disabilities.

The veteran's right shoulder arthritis is rated at 30 percent effective September 26, 2005.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for residuals of a shrapnel wound to the right thorax was denied. His claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities was also denied, as his service-connected conditions do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board found no evidence of in-service injuries or conditions that could be linked to the veteran's current disabilities. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have current right shoulder, bilateral arm, neck or back disabilities due to events experienced during his period of active service. The VA examiners did not find a connection between these conditions and service.

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of cold injury to the left and right upper extremities, as well as separate evaluations for a scar on the left shoulder and damage to muscle group XVII in the left buttock. Peripheral neuropathy due to cold injury is also granted with separate evaluations.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the basic eligibility requirements for a certificate of eligibility for specially adapted housing or for a special home adaptation grant.

The Board granted an increased rating of 10 percent for the veteran's left knee disability and a 20 percent rating for his right shoulder disability. The skin condition claim was not addressed as it is separate from the increase in ratings.