Shoulder decisions — 2015

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a private hospital due to an injury sustained four days prior is denied as the treatment was not deemed emergent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a right shoulder disability are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the case for further medical examination and opinion to determine if the Veteran's current right shoulder disability is causally connected to his service-connected cervical spine disability or surgery.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD and granted it. The Veteran was also found to have a current diagnosis of TBI, left shoulder disability, and skin disability (including xerosis and due to an undiagnosed illness).

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for TDIU and basic eligibility for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's dysthymic disorder resulted in occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks. The stomach disability, neck pain, shoulder pain, face pain, jaw pain, and numbness are proximately due to his service-connected essential tremor and degenerative changes of the cervical spine. The Veteran's sleep disorder is proximately due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The initial rating for right knee ACL repair and DJD was not granted, while the initial schedular rating for right knee replacement was granted but at a reduced level.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied across multiple conditions, with the Board finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under applicable VA rating criteria.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability is related to service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled hearing. The case will be returned to the Board after scheduling him for an appropriate video conference hearing.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current right shoulder disability is related to his service. As such, service connection for a right shoulder disability is granted.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a current lower back disability and thus, service connection for this condition is denied. The VA examinations are needed to determine appropriate evaluations for PTSD, left shoulder separation with bursitis, and mild anterolisthesis of the cervical segment of the spine.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for a left shoulder disability and a genitourinary disability. This includes obtaining updated VA treatment records, scheduling the Veteran for medical examinations to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed conditions, and then readjudicating the claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis with impingement syndrome and acromioclavicular degenerative joint disease is considered to be causally related to his military service, leading to a grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's back, right knee, and right shoulder disabilities are not related to his active service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of chronicity or incurrence during service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule him for a video conference hearing in Washington D.C.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule a VA examination due to the inadequacy of the March 2013 VA examination.

The Veteran's joint aches, osteoarthritis of the cervical and lumbar spine, degenerative changes of the right shoulder, and polyarthralgias were not incurred or aggravated in service. The Board found insufficient clinical, laboratory, or radiographic evidence to support these conditions.