Shoulder decisions — 2009

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his left shoulder disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, a chronic right shoulder disability, or an increase in the evaluation for his right ankle fracture with osteoarthritis.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a cardiovascular condition and left shoulder disability was granted. The case is now remanded to evaluate the severity of his left shoulder disability separately from costochondritis.

The Veteran's bilateral shoulder disabilities are currently rated at 20 percent each, effective the day following retirement from service. The Board found that his range of motion did not warrant a higher rating due to pain and weakness.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for back and shoulder disabilities are being remanded due to the need to obtain relevant private treatment records from Dr. King.

The Board has determined that there is no current evidence of a right shoulder disability and thus denied the Veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board found that the claimed disabilities, including diabetes mellitus, back conditions, groin injury residuals, right hip disability, and schizophrenia, were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred as a result of service exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no disability rating or effective date is assigned.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining outpatient treatment records and providing a VA examination to determine if the Veteran currently has arthritis or bursitis of his upper extremities (including shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands), and whether such conditions are related to his active duty service.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for the veteran's right shoulder disability and has also granted a separate 20 percent rating for neck musculoskeletal disability related to the right shoulder. The effective date is not specified.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability is related to service and granted her claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed left shoulder and right eye disabilities are not related to service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for his right shoulder injury, Type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities. The decision found that new evidence submitted since the previous denial did not meet the criteria to reopen the claim for a right shoulder disability secondary to a wrist disability. Service connection was denied as there was no direct evidence linking these conditions to service or any service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied. The Board found no evidence of these conditions during his period of active military service or within the one-year presumptive period after separation. For the right shoulder, ankle, hip, and knee conditions, there is insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between these conditions and his service-connected right knee condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including prostate cancer, coronary artery disease, right knee and shoulder disabilities, and lumbar spine condition, are not related to his active service.

The Board has determined that the appellant did not have any injuries to his right shoulder or right knee during periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the right upper arm and shoulder, hypertension, and PTSD were denied. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to his active service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for cervical spine disability, scar of the chin, and anxiety disorder were denied. The Veteran's service-connected dysthymia and anxiety disorder are rated at 30 percent.

The Board found that the Veteran's right and left shoulder disabilities did not have their onset during service or due to a service-connected condition, and thus denied her claims for service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is granted as incurred during service. Service connection for joint pain, to include as due to an undiagnosed illness, is denied.