Shoulder decisions — 2013

The Board found no evidence of a right hand or left shoulder disability during active service, and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection as there was not sufficient medical evidence to link current disabilities to service.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is rated at 10 percent, and his left hip disability was initially rated at 0 percent prior to August 19, 2008. From that date, the disability has been rated as 10 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine his employability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 and service connection for left shoulder disability were denied due to lack of additional disability or death resulting from VA care, treatment, or examination.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, residuals of fracture of the left great toe, bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder strain, and lumbar spine strain have been granted. The initial ratings assigned are noncompensable.

The Board has granted service connection for impingement syndrome of the right shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome with ulnar neuropathy of the left wrist, and carpal tunnel syndrome with ulnar neuropathy of the right wrist.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Veteran's right shoulder tendonopathy with degenerative joint disease (major) was granted a disability rating of 10 percent prior to April 13, 2011. Service connection for a left hip disability was also granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to protect himself from daily environment hazards, requiring the aid and attendance of another person. As a result, the Board grants special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is not manifested by nonunion of the clavicle, recurrent dislocation of the scapulohumeral joint, or limitation of arm motion. Therefore, a compensable rating for his service-connected right shoulder disability is denied.

The Board found that a chronic bilateral shoulder disability was not manifest during active service and is not shown to have developed as a result of an event, injury, or disease during active service nor to be proximately due to a service-connected disability. Therefore, the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability was denied.

The Veteran seeks service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder, which he claims is secondary to his service-connected gunshot wound to the left side of the neck with muscle involvement and surgical scar on the right side of the neck. The Board has determined that further medical clarification is needed.

The Veteran's right shoulder and biceps tendinitis/bursitis were incurred during his active service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the relationship between his service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability and his claimed bilateral shoulder disorder. The VA will also schedule examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral ankle, elbow, shoulder, neck, and nerve disabilities. The evidence does not establish a nexus between these conditions and active duty.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to verify the Veteran's periods of active duty for training and inactive duty for training, as well as to obtain an addendum medical opinion regarding the onset and relationship of his claimed conditions to service. The case will be remanded for these actions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the current status of his ankle, shoulder, and knee disabilities and whether they are related to service.

The Veteran was granted a 30% rating for degenerative changes of the right shoulder effective from July 20, 2010. He has appealed this decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not related to his service-connected PTSD. The claim for secondary service connection was also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a left shoulder disorder but denied service connection for a right shoulder disorder.