Shoulder decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and right shoulder disability were not incurred or aggravated during his periods of active duty service. The conditions preexisted his military service, and there is no evidence to support a finding of aggravation.

The Board has ordered additional development for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining private medical records and providing etiological opinions regarding his hip, shoulder, and joint pain disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder, headache, and acquired psychiatric conditions are not related to his military service.,The loss of sense of smell is also not considered service-connected.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities meet the schedular requirement for assignment of a TDIU and are reasonably shown to render him unable to secure and follow a substantial gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and evaluations.

The Veteran's left knee chondromalacia has been rated at 20 percent since November 1992. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left arm, shoulder, elbow, hand, and wrist disabilities, to include cervical spine disc disease with radiculopathy, are not etiologically related to his active service. The Veteran does not have a current free-standing diagnosis of a sleep disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed disabilities are not related to service and have denied his claims for service connection.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability was rated at 10 percent prior to September 12, 2013.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating of his right shoulder disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating, as the impairment primarily resulted in pain and weakness with limited abduction to 100 degrees.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his right shoulder and right wrist disabilities, finding that the current assigned ratings are adequate to address the severity of these conditions.

The Board found that the current left shoulder disability was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not proximately due to, the result of, or aggravated by a service-connected disease or injury.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to address whether the Veteran's left shoulder disability is related to service or his service-connected ankylosing spondylitis, and if so, whether it is aggravated by that condition.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability, postoperative total left shoulder arthroplasty, is rated at 50 percent effective November 1, 2009.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a left shoulder disability due to inadequate examination report and need for updated treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a right shoulder disorder, back disorder, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral hearing loss, allergies, heart disorder, acne, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD), have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease that would support these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, as well as providing the Veteran with appropriate VA examinations to assess his lumbar spine, left shoulder, and left wrist disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for high cholesterol, left thumb disorder, left ankle disorder, bilateral foot disorder, and right shoulder impingement syndrome were denied as the evidence did not establish service connection due to lack of a diagnosed disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a low back disability and left shoulder disability due to new evidence received since the last final denial. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further action.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining SSA records and updating the family income calculation.