Shoulder decisions — 2014

The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death was related to his service-connected disabilities, including paralysis of the right brachial plexus and gunshot wound to the right upper arm and shoulder.,The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his right shoulder disability and an evaluation of his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for right knee, right hip, low back, and right hand disabilities. The claim for sinusitis was withdrawn by the Veteran during his hearing. Service connection is also granted for left shoulder impingement with AC joint arthritis.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and requests for further development, including scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left knee disability and whether his fall was due to his service-connected ankle and/or knee conditions.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection were denied. The carpal tunnel syndrome of the right wrist is currently rated at 10 percent, which does not meet his claim for a higher evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding that the evidence was not in equipoise and did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Board has determined that there is no competent evidence linking the Veteran's low back and right shoulder disabilities to his military service, thus denying both claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral shoulder bursitis and arthritis of the right knee likely had their onset during his active duty service, granting service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the issues of entitlement to a compensable evaluation for chondromalacia of the left knee, a compensable evaluation for old trauma distal of the left clavicle of the left shoulder, a compensable evaluation for C6-7 radiculopathy on the left, a compensable evaluation for C6/7 radiculopathy on the right, a compensable evaluation for osteoarthritic changes of lumbosacral spine, and a compensable evaluation for pes planus deformity and posterior calcaneal spur.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining a VA examination to determine the current existence and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current degenerative joint disease of the acromioclavicular joint and right shoulder is related to his in-service injury, resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal has been remanded due to the need for more current VA examinations and additional development of his claims. The issues include increased ratings for left shoulder disability, TMJ, and left cubital tunnel syndrome/left wrist disorder.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding the increased ratings and service connection for his lumbar spine, right shoulder, and right hip conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The issues of an increased rating for his right shoulder disability and TDIU are being addressed.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a bilateral ankle disorder and determined that new and material evidence has been received. The Board also found that generalized osteoarthritis, which is hereditary in nature, was incurred during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder, lumbar spine, and cervical spine disabilities are not related to his military service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination in determining whether his left shoulder disorder had its origins in service.

The Veteran's attorney has withdrawn the appeal regarding whether a timely substantive appeal was filed with respect to a March 2009 rating decision that assigned an initial rating for a left shoulder condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder disability, including residuals of a torn rotator cuff, requires additional development and an examination to determine if his current condition is related to his period of service. The case will be returned to the Board after this development.