Shoulder decisions — 2015

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of a chronic back condition and granted it, finding that his preexisting condition was aggravated by an in-service injury. The claims for degenerative joint disease of the knees and shoulders are also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for any of the conditions he is seeking service connection for, and thus his claims are denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left shoulder disability is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by his service-connected right shoulder disability.

The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder is found to have been incurred in service. The VA examiner diagnosed osteoarthritis of bilateral feet, but did not find a current diagnosis for the left shoulder disability or low back disability. Service connection was granted for the right shoulder and bilateral foot disabilities.

The Board dismissed the claims of service connection for lumbar and cervical spine disorders due to a lack of evidence showing their onset during military service, and because the Veteran had filed a timely appeal on these issues. The CUE claims regarding the September 30, 2008 rating decisions are now moot.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as the criteria for a temporary total rating based on convalescence following his left knee surgery in June 2011 are not met. The issues of PTSD, right shoulder condition and low back condition are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right knee, left knee, and left shoulder disorders. The rating assigned is not specified as the decision only addresses the grant of service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA vocational rehabilitation records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for initial review of VA-generated evidence by the Board, and the Veteran's representative was not provided with a waiver of initial RO consideration.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are now being considered on the merits. The Board finds new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for a bilateral heel disability, neck disability, low back disability, right hip disability, and bilateral shoulder disability.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, thus the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is rated at 30 percent, and he is granted TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities. The appeal for a higher rating for the right shoulder disability was denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, finding that his lumbar degenerative joint and disc disease was rated appropriately at 20 percent. The issues of cervical spine, left shoulder, and right shoulder disabilities were also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder characterized as major depressive disorder and left shoulder arthritis. The Veteran's depression is found to be at least as likely as not caused by his military service, while the left shoulder arthritis is also found to be at least as likely as not incurred in service.

The Board has determined that there is no current disability in the left heel and insufficient evidence to support a finding of service connection for residuals of a left heel fracture. The Veteran's claimed left shoulder disorder may be related to her childhood injury, but the VA examiner found no clear and unmistakable evidence that it preexisted service or worsened beyond its natural progression during service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete service personnel records and further verification of the appellant's periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA.

The Veteran's muscle injury to groups I, II, III, and IV of the left shoulder is already rated as 50 percent disabling due to prosthetic implantation. A separate rating for this condition would result in pyramiding.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been granted, with the exception of his claim for bilateral elbow conditions. The Board has determined that new and material evidence was submitted to reopen claims for bilateral shoulder disorders, neck muscle strain, conjunctivitis, and hypertension prior to January 26, 2001. The Veteran's GAD claim is also granted, but with an effective date of August 20, 2004.

The Board has found that there are missing components necessary to adjudicate the Veteran's appeals, including a Statement of the Case (SOC) and VA Form 9. The case is REMANDED for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and review, including scheduling a hearing if requested by the Veteran.