Shoulder decisions — 2011

The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions have been granted, with a noncompensable evaluation assigned for bilateral pes planus as of August 3, 2009.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for right shoulder disability, left leg condition, and left testicle condition. The decision found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have begun in service and is granted service connection. The left foot, bilateral shoulder, and bilateral knee disabilities are not currently supported by the evidence.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have begun in service and is granted service connection. The left foot, bilateral shoulder, and bilateral knee disabilities are not currently supported by the evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and a shrapnel wound to the right shoulder, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his right and left shoulder disabilities were denied. The Board found that the current disability ratings adequately reflected the severity of the service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further action, including scheduling a VA examination and readjudicating the claim in light of all pertinent evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a disability manifested by pain in the joints of his entire body is denied as there is no evidence of a chronic, systemic joint disability affecting all of the joints in his body.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service-connected conditions and their relationship to his current disabilities. The Board has ordered additional development of the claims, including obtaining clarification from the June 2009 VA examiner regarding the diagnoses and relationships between the Veteran's claimed conditions and his service-connected anxiety disorder and dysthymic disorder.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed low back, left arm, shoulder, and tinnitus disabilities. The case will be returned for this purpose.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's neck, left shoulder, and left arm disabilities were not incurred or aggravated during his active duty service. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and initial ratings for various disabilities were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting service connection for OSA, or assigning higher initial ratings for the other conditions.

The Veteran's low back strain with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is rated at 20 percent effective July 9, 2007. The right lower leg skin rash is rated at 10 percent and lipomas are not compensable.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bursitis of the right and left shoulders have been denied as there is no evidence showing that his disability has reached the levels necessary for a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected right shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent, which corresponds to limitation of motion to abduction limited to 60 degrees. The claim for a left shoulder disorder and bilateral hearing loss was denied as there was no credible evidence of continuity of symptomatology or direct service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected right shoulder disorder does not warrant an extraschedular rating, and he is not entitled to a TDIU prior to March 6, 2008.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed knee and shoulder disabilities are not related to her active service, and therefore denied these claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for frostbite of the feet and legs with arthritis, swelling, and weakness of the feet and knees, left shoulder arthritis, left hip arthritis, and right hip arthritis. The decision also found that PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spondylosis warrants a 10 percent disability rating, effective from May 28, 2010. The Veteran's other claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to additional development being required, including a VA examination and obtaining private treatment records.