Shoulder decisions — 2010

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder and lumbar spine disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records from VA facilities.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his left shoulder disability was denied, and the claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, anxiety/dementia, and pain disorder) was also denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting either claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative joint disease of the right knee, left knee, and left shoulder are related to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for an increased evaluation for his left shoulder disability, service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional evidentiary development including verifying dates of service, obtaining outstanding service treatment records, and affording the Veteran VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for lumbar spine, right shoulder, left shoulder, right knee, right lower extremity, and left lower extremity disabilities. The evidence did not establish that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current hearing loss was caused by service, including significant noise exposure during her military career.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection have been denied. The initial evaluations for the claimed conditions are not supported by the evidence of record.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to determine the etiology of his claimed hearing loss and shoulder disorders.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and thus the case is dismissed.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claims for service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, but these issues are REMANDED to obtain further development.

The Veteran's left shoulder strain was found to be incurred during active duty. The claims for headaches and fatigue are also granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and compensation secondary to his low back disability are being remanded due to the need for additional examination and development.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected gunshot wounds and varicose vein conditions did not contribute to his death. The causes of death listed on his death certificate were sepsis, respiratory failure, old cardiovascular accident, and diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for an initial evaluation in excess of the assigned noncompensable ratings for most conditions, except for a 20 percent evaluation for left shoulder impingement status post surgery.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left shoulder disability is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability was denied as there is no evidence of a chronic condition related to her active duty. The claims for left knee, fractured left tibia residuals, and metatarsal disabilities are also denied.

The Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for the residuals of a right shoulder injury and depression, finding that there was no credible evidence to support his claim of a right shoulder injury during active duty or reserve component training. The Board also found that any current depression is not secondary to service-connected pes planus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his military service and therefore denied his claims for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining certification of the appellant's periods of ACDUTRA and translating Spanish documents. The VA examiner is to provide an addendum opinion addressing whether any currently diagnosed skin disorder pre-existed the appellant's entry into ACDUTRA at any point, if so, whether it underwent an increase in severity during service, and if so, whether that increase was due to natural progression or above and beyond the natural progression.