Shoulder decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for review of additional evidence submitted by his wife. The claim will be reconsidered and a decision will be made based on this new information.

The Veteran's hypertension was not incurred or aggravated by service. The bilateral shoulder, elbow, wrist, and finger disorders are not related to service. The fatigue is not related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for numbness and tingling to the right and left arms and shoulders as secondary to a lumbar and cervical spine disorder. The initial compensable rating for jaw disability (bruxism) remains unchanged.

The Board has denied service connection for a right ankle disorder and a left shoulder disorder, finding no evidence of such disabilities during the appeal period.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for a right shoulder condition and service connection for left and right knee disabilities were denied as there is no evidence of current disability or service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral shoulder disability is manifested by pain, limitation of motion, tenderness, and objective evidence of arthritis. The Board finds that the current 20 percent rating adequately reflects the severity of his service-connected bilateral shoulder disability.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The RO found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for his knee and shoulder conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded to the RO for additional development.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected left shoulder disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder impingement syndrome is related to his active service and grants service connection for both right and left shoulder disorders.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities are not related to service or his service-connected lumbar spine disability, and thus service connection is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a supplemental medical opinion to determine the relationship between his service and any diagnosed disabilities, including those related to an incident in service. The Veteran will be provided another VA examination.

The Veteran's initial evaluation for his right shoulder disability was increased to 40 percent, the highest available under the rating code for limitation of motion. The Veteran experiences daily flare-ups that prevent him from using his arm.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to March 19, 2009, in excess of 30 percent from March 19, 2009, to December 21, 2009, and in excess of 30 percent from March 1, 2010, for degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder have been dismissed.

The Board found no in-service injury or disease involving the Veteran's right shoulder and concluded that his current right shoulder disability did not manifest within one year of separation from active service. Therefore, the appeal for service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the Veteran's periods of active duty, ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA service. The Veteran's claims for psychiatric, thoracolumbar spine, cervical spine, bilateral shoulder, headache and respiratory disorders are remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for his service-connected right (dominant) shoulder disability is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether his current left shoulder and right knee conditions are related to service. Additional VA or private treatment records should be obtained, and the Veteran should be asked to submit any additional lay statements.

The Board finds that the Veteran's claimed left shoulder disability is not related to his service and therefore denies the claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral knee and right ankle disorders, finding that current disabilities are of service onset or attributable to military service. The remaining issues remain on appeal.