Shoulder decisions — 2008

The Board is remanding the veteran's claims to reopen his service connection for right shoulder contusion and back disorder due to insufficient evidence in the previous denial on the merits. The veteran must provide new and material evidence to substantiate these claims.

The Board finds that the veteran's left shoulder and bilateral knee disorders are not related to his period of active service. The claim for tinnitus is granted as credible evidence indicates it may be due to acoustic trauma during military service.,Service connection for a left shoulder disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The veteran's right shoulder disability was rated at 30 percent from December 7, 2006. The evidence did not show the required limitation of motion to qualify for a higher rating.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant before a decision was made.

The veteran's claimed muscle spasms and swollen joints are not service-connected as they are attributed to diagnosed conditions, and the medical evidence does not support a finding of a relationship between these symptoms and his military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder, left shoulder, and low back disorders. The initial compensable ratings for the service-connected residuals of lacerations to the right index finger and middle fingers have also been denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a disability of the cervical spine, bilateral shoulders, bilateral hips, right ankle, low back, or bilateral knees due to service. The claim for PTSD was also denied as there is no evidence linking it to service.

The veteran's combined evaluation of 60 percent does not meet the criteria for a total rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities alone.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work background.

The Board has determined that the veteran's major depressive disorder and right shoulder disability are proximately due to or the result of her service-connected left knee disability, and thus grants these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's residuals of a stress fracture, left tibia do not warrant an increased rating as they do not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating.

The veteran's service-connected left ankle and shoulder disabilities were denied increased ratings.,Service connection for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and a back disability (claimed as secondary to the service-connected left heel and ankle disabilities) was also denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder disability, finding no medical evidence to support a nexus between his current condition and either his service-connected ankle disability or any other theory of entitlement.

The Board found that the evidence did not establish service connection for bilateral wrist arthritis, left shoulder disability, or right shoulder disability. The veteran's claims were denied as there was no nexus to service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings or service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for his service-connected left shoulder strain and denied his claim for service connection for cervical spine disability, finding that the evidence did not support a finding of direct or secondary service connection.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The RO granted service connection for DDD of the lumbar spine and assigned a 10 percent initial rating, effective October 1, 2002.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of arthritis of the knees or shoulder, and therefore service connection is denied for these conditions.

The Board has granted initial ratings of 20 percent for the veteran's right and left shoulder disabilities, but no higher.

The Board has granted service connection for a right knee disability, but denied service connection for bilateral shoulder disabilities. The veteran's right knee condition is rated at the maximum available rating of 100%.