Shoulder decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed psychiatric, knee, and unspecified joint disabilities are not related to his active service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including an examination and obtaining outpatient treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder condition is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of his claims file.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but denied service connection for residuals of burns to the right shoulder and thorax and cornea. The decision is based on current evidence not indicating a nexus between these conditions and active service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing and following some form of substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a second hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board found no evidence of a left shoulder disorder during service and insufficient medical nexus to link current residuals to service. The Veteran's claim for service connection was denied.

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for his TDIU benefit, arguing he was unable to work due to service-connected disabilities prior to March 24, 2010. The Board has determined that there is sufficient evidence to suggest the Veteran may have been unemployable by reason of service-connected disabilities prior to this date.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy, low back disability, right shoulder and arm disabilities, neck disability with left arm pain, and GERD. The decision found that there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service or presumed exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability and associated scars are rated at 20 percent, effective June 3, 2002. His bilateral hearing loss is also service-connected but not rated as he has no right ear hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder disability and numbness of the left ring and little fingers are not related to his military service. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty, ACDUTRA, or INACDUTRA.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as his claim for a higher rating of SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance of another person was not granted. The current service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for an increased SMC rate.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to gather additional medical evidence and provide the Veteran with VA examinations.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence linking the Veteran's current bilateral shoulder disability to his active military service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various orthopedic disabilities, finding that they were not incurred or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected TOS of the right and left shoulders are currently rated at 20 and 10 percent, respectively. The Board has determined that these ratings do not meet the criteria for an increased disability rating.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete Reserve service records and for obtaining up-to-date VA treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for multi-joint/bone pain is being remanded to obtain additional medical records, verify his Gulf War Service, and schedule a VA examination to determine the etiology of any diagnosed conditions.

The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions, finding no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current disabilities and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right shoulder tendonitis with acromial impingement was denied as he failed to appear for a scheduled VA examination without good cause. As this is not an original compensation claim, the claim cannot be decided based on the evidence of record.