Shoulder decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability was incurred in service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board granted an extension of temporary total rating for convalescence to August 31, 2012 due to the Veteran's right shoulder surgery necessitating four months of convalescence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed joint disabilities, including cervical spine, bilateral shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, are not service-connected as they do not have a direct link to his active duty service.

The Veteran's DJD of the right (dominant) shoulder is rated at 30 percent, which approximates limitation of motion to midway between the side and shoulder level. The maximum rating of 40 percent for limitation of motion to 25 degrees from the side was not met.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder disability warrants a 30 percent rating, reflecting limitation of motion to 25 degrees on the minor side.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and left shoulder condition were found to have been incurred during service, meeting the criteria for direct service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain SSA records and issue supplemental statements of the case for his claims of service connection for depression, right inguinal hernia, and ilio-inguinal nerve neuralgia.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and consideration of his claim based on additional evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected right shoulder disability has resulted in painful limitation of motion, and the Board finds a rating of 20 percent is warranted for the entire appeal period.

The Board found no evidence of a current left shoulder disability and concluded that the Veteran's reported symptoms are related to his service-connected cervical spine condition, thus denying the claim for service connection.

The Board has found that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus was not incurred or aggravated during his active duty service, and thus denied this claim. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a left shoulder disability is being remanded due to outstanding medical records.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is being remanded for additional development as the initial examination was inadequate and there are conflicting medical opinions regarding its etiology.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed conditions, including his claimed lumbar and cervical spine disorders, bilateral hand and shoulder conditions, bilateral knee and hip disorders, are at least as likely as not related to service. The appeal is granted.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and basal cell carcinoma of the left shoulder. Service connection is granted for both conditions as due to herbicide exposure.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate opinions regarding service connection for hypertension and bilateral shoulder disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if any left shoulder disability is related to service or service-connected cervical spine strain.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left shoulder disability is etiologically related to his active duty service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The appeal has been dismissed as the appellant withdrew their appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran was granted service connection for neurodermatitis of the right shoulder, which he claims is due to mosquito bites during service. The VA examiner found that this condition is related to his in-service exposure.,Service connection was denied for low back strain with mild degenerative disc disease as there is no evidence linking it to service.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability and a neck disability on the merits.