Shoulder decisions — 2012

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disability and a right leg disability were denied. The Board found no evidence linking the disabilities to his period of military service, and there was insufficient evidence to support secondary or 1151 claims.

The Veteran does not have a diagnosed left hip disorder, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, fibromyalgia, neck disorder, low back disorder, or right knee disorder.,Service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and opinion regarding service connection for various shoulder, knee, and ankle disabilities.

The Veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the assignment of a 20 percent disability rating for his right shoulder disability. The Board has determined that no such earlier effective date is warranted.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for right brachial plexus injury with shoulder and elbow deficits and sensory deficits of the right wrist and hand was denied in April 1985, but he filed a request to reopen his claim on February 20, 1991. The RO granted service connection effective from February 20, 1991.,The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for right shoulder arthritis and gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances were also denied in April 1985, but he filed a request to reopen his claim on July 11, 2000. The RO granted service connection effective from July 11, 2000.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for arthritis of the cervical spine, right elbow, shoulder arthritis, left ear hearing loss, and dermatitis. The appeals were not successful.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claim for service connection for left shoulder disability due to a previous decision that relied on an opinion obtained under misleading circumstances.

The Veteran's service-connected left ulnar neuropathy is currently rated at 20 percent disabling from December 30, 2010. The Board finds that the evidence supports a higher rating of 30 percent for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations and the acquisition of more recent treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating and a TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left inguinal hernia was incurred in service, and his right shoulder strain with tendonopathy is not related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims due to incomplete records and the need for a VA examination.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic neck and shoulder disability related to service. The low back disability is considered pending as the claim requires further examination.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a left shoulder disability and finds that new and material evidence has been received to support this claim. The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current left shoulder disability is causally related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a Travel Board hearing. The case will be returned to the Board after the scheduled hearing.

The Veteran is seeking compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for additional disability of the left shoulder due to surgery and post-operative care by VA, but his claim was remanded due to a need for further investigation into quality assurance records.

The Board found no evidence that the Veteran's right shoulder disability is directly related to service or secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and thus denied the claim.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's current left shoulder and right knee disorders are related to his military service. The claims for service connection will be remanded for further examination and consideration.

The Veteran's appeals seeking compensable ratings for upper left clavicle, upper anterior left arm, and posterior left shoulder basal cell carcinoma (BCC) removal scars have been dismissed due to the Veteran's failure to provide necessary authorizations for VA to secure outstanding records of private treatment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling new examinations to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.