Shoulder decisions — 2015

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current cervical spine, right knee, left knee, left shoulder, and right hip disabilities are at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by altered body mechanics related to her service-connected residuals of a stress fracture of the left inferior pubis ramus.

The Board has reopened several service connection claims and granted them, with some issues receiving staged ratings. The effective date for the award of PTSD is set at April 9, 2007.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection for left shoulder disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability are being remanded due to procedural issues.

The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder disorder, including strain and arthritis, is not etiologically related to his service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has decided that a VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's right shoulder condition and whether it is related to his service-connected left shoulder disability. The case will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a disability manifested by breathing difficulty, bilateral shoulder disabilities, and an upper back disability has been granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability, sinusitis, and bilateral hearing loss are service-connected. However, his claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current hearing loss disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left shoulder recurrent dislocation is related to his in-service left shoulder dislocation, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for the issuance of a Statement of the Case on all issues related to his claims, including an increased rating for athlete's foot and reopening previously denied claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the Buffalo, VAMC for further clarification regarding his claim of entitlement to a clothing allowance. The issue will be reconsidered in light of new medical evidence and specific identification of outer garments damaged by prescribed medications.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's left shoulder condition, including range of motion and functional loss due to pain or other factors. The rating assigned will be determined based on the results of this examination.

The Veteran's service-connected IBS renders him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment, and the claim for major depressive disorder is no longer in dispute. Service connection has been established for a spinal disability (S1 grade 1 spondylolisthesis with symptomatology that manifested within one year of separation from active duty). The Veteran's weight loss condition does not manifest during or as a result of active military service, and the claim for chest pain is reopened but denied. Evidence received since the September 1997 rating decision is both new and material and raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral shoulder pain, bilateral knee pain, headaches, and sinusitis.

The Veteran's right and left shoulder disorders, as well as his migraine headaches and stomach disorder (Barrett's Esophagus with Gastritis and Esophagitis), are considered to be due to undiagnosed illnesses or other qualifying chronic disabilities related to service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War.,The Veteran served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations, which includes Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and airspace above these locations.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied the claims for bilateral heel spurs and a left shoulder disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and further development of evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his claimed conditions are not shown to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any left shoulder disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right and left shoulder disorders were aggravated during active service, warranting service connection. The respiratory disorder was not shown to be related to service or asbestos exposure. The right foot disorder did not manifest within one year of discharge and arthritis is not present. Fibromyalgia was not shown to have manifested in service.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU is being remanded as the VA has not obtained an opinion regarding his employability due to service-connected disabilities. The case will be readjudicated after obtaining this information.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD caused or aggravated his alcohol abuse disorder, which led to his fatal methanol ingestion.