Shoulder decisions — 2015

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left shoulder condition, which is secondary to his service-connected squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and cervical lymph node cancer, has been remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the condition. The Veteran must be provided with proper duty-to-assist notice.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral foot disability is service-connected, but his bilateral shoulder disability cannot be linked to his service-connected bilateral foot disability.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and thus the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a new examination to assess his lumbosacral spine disability and determine the nature and etiology of his claimed cervical and thoracic spine and right shoulder conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to procedural errors and the need for a new examination.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability is rated at 30 percent since January 18, 2000. Effective March 10, 2014, the Veteran's right shoulder radiculopathy associated with his cervical spine degenerative joint disease warrants a separate 40 percent rating.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, which is not productive of limitation of motion at shoulder level, does not warrant an initial evaluation in excess of the currently assigned 10 percent rating.

The Board is remanding the case to determine if the Veteran's pre-existing left shoulder disorder was clearly and unmistakably not aggravated by service, as well as to obtain any missing treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination, including medical opinions regarding his claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's left shoulder impingement syndrome with history of bursitis is currently rated at 20 percent, and the neuropathy associated with this condition is separately rated at 20 percent. The Board finds that these ratings are appropriate based on the evidence provided.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for right shoulder osteoarthritis and earlier effective dates for service connection were granted. The effective date for the grant of service connection was set at June 27, 2007, while the effective date for the increased rating remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and arranging for a new VA examination to assess the current level of severity of the Veteran's left shoulder disability. The Veteran is also asked to provide releases for any private treatment records that may be relevant.

The Board has granted service connection for a left shoulder disability and assigned a 50 percent rating. The Veteran's bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder are rated at the maximum schedular rating of 70 percent, effective from the date of the grant of service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for hypertension, right shoulder disability, and left shoulder disability were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under applicable VA regulations.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent, and his lumbar spine disability prior to October 26, 2009, is also rated at 20 percent. The Veteran's bronchial asthma has been increased to a 60 percent rating effective December 14, 2013.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability has been rated at 20 percent since July 25, 2013. Prior to that date, the disability was rated as 10 percent.

The Board granted a 20 percent evaluation for the Veteran's left shoulder disability, effective from November 20, 2003. The decision did not address the other issues as they were not specified in the appeal.

The case is being remanded to the AOJ due to an inadequate March 2012 examination and for a new evaluation of the Veteran's left shoulder disability.

The Veteran is granted service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability and a right lower extremity disability. However, the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a disability affecting her bilateral upper extremities (other than the already-service-connected bilateral shoulders) is denied.