Shoulder decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder disorder and right knee disorder are not related to his period of active duty service. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during service.

The Board found no evidence of a current disability, an in-service injury or disease, or a nexus between the two. The Veteran's left shoulder disability is not presumed due to service and there is no direct evidence linking it to service.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine whether the Veteran meets the criteria for special monthly pension based on aid and attendance or housebound status. The appeal is currently in remand status.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left total shoulder replacement residuals are related to his active service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current right knee and left shoulder arthritis to his service, including any in-service injuries. The claims are therefore denied.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for irritable bowel syndrome. Service connection is granted for a lumbar spine disability, depressive disorder with anxiety, and bilateral ankle, knee, hip, wrist, elbow, and shoulder disabilities due to undiagnosed illness or in-service exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's current left shoulder disorder is not causally or etiologically related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's chronic dislocation of the right shoulder has been rated at 60 percent since November 1, 2011. The RO assigned a 100 percent rating from September 23, 2010 to November 1, 2011 for a right total shoulder arthroplasty necessitating convalescence and returned the Veteran to a 30 percent rating from November 1, 2011. The current 60 percent rating is the maximum schedular disability rating authorized under VA's rating schedule.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal seeking increased initial ratings for his service-connected right shoulder, left knee and right carpal tunnel syndrome disabilities.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for further development to determine the etiology and service connection status of his claimed disabilities, including whether they are related to pre-existing conditions or incurred during service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's attempt to reopen his claim for service connection of a right shoulder disorder, finding that no new and material evidence was submitted.

The Board has not issued a Statement of the Case on the Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. � 1151 for left knee, right rib, and bilateral shoulder disabilities due to an incomplete remand directive. The case is REMANDED to comply with the previous directives.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected neck strain with myofacial pain syndrome. The issue of whether he is unemployable due to this disability will also be addressed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current knee and shoulder disabilities are not service-connected.,Medical opinions provided by Drs. Virgil and Harvie did not provide a rationale for their conclusions, making them insufficient to support the determination.

The Veteran's retropatellar pain syndrome of the left knee is currently rated at 30 percent, and his instability of the left knee is rated at 10 percent. The appeal is mixed as one issue was granted (instability) while another was denied (retropatellar pain syndrome).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability is not related to his active duty service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the appellant's claims of service connection for a right knee disability and bilateral shoulder disability. The claims are now considered on their merits.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including knee disabilities, foot disability, hearing loss, and eye disability. The decision also noted that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for his right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability has been rated at 20 percent for the entire rating period, and his claim for an increased evaluation is denied as his condition does not more nearly approximate limitation of motion to midway between side and shoulder level.