Shoulder decisions — 2010

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral patellofemoral syndrome is granted. The claims for atrial septal defect, bilateral shoulder arthralgia, and synovitis of the right ankle are not addressed as they were not part of the appeal.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic back disability and denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed back condition. For his right shoulder disability, the Board determined that the current evaluation of 30% was appropriate based on limitation of motion to 25 degrees from the side.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his intervertebral disc degeneration of the lumbar spine, internal derangement of the right shoulder, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death. His claims for various disabilities and compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 are not before the Board.

The Board found that the Veteran's back, right leg, arms, left shoulder, impaired balance, bladder, and bowel disabilities were not caused by any VA hospital care or treatment relating to his April 2001 spinal surgery.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a left shoulder injury and lumbosacral spine disorder, finding that there was no medical evidence linking these conditions to his active military service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's kidney stones and left shoulder disability were not incurred or aggravated during his active duty service, and therefore denied service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's increased rating claims for his left knee disability and right wrist injury were denied. The Veteran was granted a temporary total rating for the left knee disability from February 3, 2006 to March 31, 2007, with a subsequent 30 percent evaluation effective April 1, 2007.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining relevant Social Security Administration records.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection of a left shoulder disorder. The right ankle disorder is granted as incurred in active military service.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, right shoulder pain and right scapula condition, chest pain, bronchitis, influenza with headaches, low back disability, esophoria, nosebleed, and residuals of a foreign object in the eye. The claims were not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disorder is related to his active duty service and grants service connection for this condition. The issue of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea, secondary to diabetes mellitus type II, will be remanded due to a lack of an examination addressing the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus and his current sleep apnea.

The Veteran's PTSD and right shoulder strain with instability prior to December 1, 2006 are both rated at the maximum allowable under current rating criteria.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to scheduling issues for a Travel Board hearing and issuance of a Statement of the Case.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a currently diagnosed left shoulder disability and his right shoulder rotator cuff tear is not service-connected. The claim for an initial compensable rating for residuals of post-surgical repair of the right shoulder rotator cuff tear was denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are not shown to be productive of a disability picture that precludes him from securing and following some form of substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's PTSD was found to be incurred in service, resolving all doubts in his favor.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a right ankle disability, and a bilateral shoulder disability was denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not have these conditions due to his service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional service records, including those from his reserve and active duty service. The claim will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.