Shoulder decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left shoulder and left ankle disabilities are not related to his military service, including any in-service injury or exposure. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected right shoulder disability. The case will be reviewed after this additional development.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied as his conditions did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under applicable VA rating criteria.

The Board denied reopening of the claims for rheumatoid arthritis, right shoulder and neck disabilities, and left index finger disabilities. The Veteran appealed only the denial of reopening of these claims.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral wrist, elbow, and thumb disorders, as well as a left shoulder disorder, were denied. The claim for residuals of a fracture of the right ring finger was also denied.

The Board found that the evidence does not support a link between the Veteran's current right shoulder condition and his military service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acromioclavicular separation, right shoulder, post-Mumford procedure does not meet or approximate criteria for a higher evaluation prior to February 14, 2012. The current rating of 20% is therefore denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder disability is etiologically related to his active service, and thus granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete evidence and need for additional examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cervical spine and right shoulder disabilities are not service-connected, as they did not manifest within one year of his separation from active duty or during a period of training duty. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were caused by or aggravated by any service-connected condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder disability, erectile dysfunction, and residuals of an injury to the ribs are at least as likely as not related to service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to her military service and thus denied all of her claims for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to an effective date prior to January 24, 2005 for the grant of service connection for a right shoulder disability and his claims of service connection for headaches and a cervical spine disorder. The Board found that the Veteran did not submit a claim before January 24, 2005, which is when he filed his petition to reopen his previously denied claim. The Board also determined that there was no evidence linking the current conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for major depressive disorder was reopened and granted, with the disability found to be related to his service-connected low back disability.,Service connection for a right shoulder disability was denied as there is no evidence linking it to active duty service.

The Veteran was granted service connection for a left shoulder disorder, diagnosed as impingement syndrome and degenerative joint disease. However, the right shoulder, right knee, and bilateral elbow disorders were not found to be related to service.,The arthralgias and myalgias (consisting of ankle pain) were determined not to be due to an undiagnosed illness or a medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed cervical spine, lumbar spine, bilateral shoulder, left hip, and left ankle disabilities are not related to service. The evidence does not show any in-service injury or disease resulting in these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's degenerative changes of the cervical spine are related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition. The issues of right shoulder disorder and left shoulder disorder, both secondary to the cervical spine disability, will be addressed separately.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to obtain or maintain a substantially gainful occupation as of January 3, 2007. Effective date of January 3, 2007 is granted for the establishment of TDIU benefits and Chapter 35 benefits.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a rash on his abdomen, shoulders, and neck. The Board has determined that further development of the record is needed to determine if this condition is related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and verifying his reserve service.