Shoulder decisions — 2007

The Board found no evidence of a left shoulder disorder during service and denied the claim for service connection.,There is no medical evidence linking sleep apnea to service, and the Board denied the claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for a left shoulder disorder, finding that new and material evidence had not been presented. The evidence did not show a nexus between the current left shoulder condition and military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left shoulder disorder is not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected knee disability, and therefore denied the claim for secondary service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for heart condition and traumatic arthritis in the knees, hips, and left shoulder as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service. The veteran did not have a diagnosis of arthritis at any time.

The veteran's initial rating for residuals of multiple neck strain injuries, with traumatic arthritis and degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine is granted at 60 percent prior to September 23, 2002. The combined initial rating since September 23, 2002 is granted at 80 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current residuals of a cervical spine injury and residuals of a right shoulder injury are related to service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's left shoulder injury, currently evaluated at 20 percent disabling.

The VA denied a higher initial rating for the service-connected left shoulder disability, assigning a 20 percent rating.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected conditions did not cause or contribute to his death from cardiopulmonary arrest and lung cancer. The claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was also denied.

The veteran's service-connected left shoulder gunshot wound residuals and residual nerve injury are currently rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations. The scar is not separately evaluated.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected right shoulder injury residuals, finding that they meet the criteria for severe impairment in Muscle Group IV.

The veteran's injuries were not caused by VA hospital care, medical or surgical treatment, and the claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. section 1151 is denied.

The Board found that the veteran's right shoulder disability, which is rated as 20 percent disabling under Diagnostic Code 5201, does not warrant a higher rating based on his symptoms and examination findings.

The Board has determined that the veteran's left shoulder disability did not begin during his period of honorable service from April 1981 to April 1986, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for PTSD, arthritis of the right hand, hypertension, bilateral shoulder disability, bilateral knee disability, or left ankle disability.,An additional VA examination may be necessary to address the etiology of the veteran's hypertension.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of the left hand. The only evidence showing any issue with his left hand is subjective reports of pain, which do not constitute a disability for service connection purposes.,The VA examiner found no evidence to suggest that the veteran's cervical spine and right shoulder conditions had their onset during service. Instead, they were attributed to post-service work-related activities.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for extension of a temporary total disability rating, reduction in his disability rating, and increased rating for his service-connected right shoulder disability.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for a gunshot wound of the right shoulder with residual traumatic arthritis and loss of motion is being remanded due to additional evidence received since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The veteran's service-connected low back and right shoulder disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation from January 28, 2004, through March 2005.