Shoulder decisions — 2010

The Board concluded that the Veteran's cause of death was not incurred or aggravated in active military service, and denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his left shoulder disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a rating greater than 20 percent prior to February 26, 2009 and did not meet the criteria for a rating greater than 30 percent beginning February 26, 2009.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine and right shoulder bursitis were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher disability evaluations.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a neck disorder and denied it on the merits. The current degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine is not related to service, but left shoulder acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis is related to a left shoulder injury during service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before a decision can be made on the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder condition.

The Veteran meets the criteria for a total disability rating for nonservice-connected pension purposes due to multiple disabilities, including his right knee and low back conditions.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for left shoulder disorder, arthritis, and tuberculosis have been dismissed as the appellant has withdrawn these appeals.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to service, and the claim for this condition is granted. The claims for tinnitus, knee disabilities, wrist disabilities, shoulder disabilities, neck disability, and lower back disability are all denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation of his left shoulder disability, SI joint dysfunction, or venereal warts.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder disability is not caused or permanently worsened by his service-connected right shoulder disability, and therefore denied the claim for secondary service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral flat feet, residuals of a neck injury, and right shoulder disorder have been denied as there is no evidence of any such conditions during or related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of the record, including obtaining treatment records from the Roudebush VAMC since October 2008.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations for right shoulder and left knee disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, left ear hearing loss, a respiratory disorder due to asbestos exposure, migraine headaches, visual disability, and back disability. The reasons given were that there was no credible evidence of in-service stressors for PTSD, no current diagnoses related to service for other conditions, and the Veteran's accounts of events during service were not credible.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic prostatitis and/or epididymitis, as well as a chronic left shoulder disability. The evidence shows that these conditions are related to active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional VA examination and review of service treatment records. The claim will be readjudicated based on all relevant evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further development of evidence, including obtaining records from the Cincinnati VAMC and adjudicating the issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (T/R).

The Veteran's hypertension is found to be service-connected due to a finding that it was manifested within one year of his separation from active duty. The right shoulder disability has been rated at 20 percent since the grant of service connection, and no higher rating is warranted based on current evidence.