Shoulder decisions — 2016

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral foot and shoulder disabilities were denied as the evidence did not establish a link between his current conditions and active military service.

The Board granted initial non-compensable ratings for bilateral shoulder strain, effective from July 3, 2012. Effective that date, the Veteran is entitled to a 20 percent rating for his service-connected lumbosacral spine disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the current severity of his right shoulder disability, the nature and etiology of his right knee disorder, and the nature and etiology of his hypertension.

The Veteran's left ankle disorder, right shoulder rotator cuff disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and bilateral knee disorder were not shown to be related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if he has a right shoulder disability related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for a right shoulder disability and a surgical scar of the right shoulder, finding that there is at least an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence in favor of the Veteran's claims. The claim for TDIU remains pending.

The Veteran's right and left shoulder disabilities have been rated at the maximum available under Diagnostic Code 5201, resulting in a 20 percent rating for each shoulder.

The Board granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, ED secondary to DM, hypertension secondary to DM, and lumbar and cervical spine disabilities. The Board also granted a TDIU rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's neck and left shoulder disabilities were not incurred or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of a chronic condition in service or for many years thereafter. The VA examiner concluded that the current cervical spine disability is not related to service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's bilateral shoulder disorder is not related to service or his service-connected lumbar scoliosis with degenerative disc disease at L5-S1 with lateral listhesis at L3-L4, and thus denies service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current left and right shoulder disabilities did not have their onset during active service, are not related to any incident of service, and therefore cannot be granted service connection.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for migraines and granted it, finding that new evidence submitted since the January 1984 rating decision raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. The Veteran's headaches worsened during service and were aggravated by service.,Service connection was also granted for left shoulder tendinopathy and adhesive capsulitis with pain and limitation of motion, as well as costochondritis (chest pain). These conditions are found to have begun during service.

The Veteran's asthma disability is presumed to have existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service. The Board denied the remaining claims for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination and the provision of outstanding medical records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral shoulder disorder, hearing loss disability (both ears), tinnitus, and calcaneal spurs are denied.,Service connection is granted for bilateral calcaneal spurs. The Veteran asserts that symptoms of the condition began during service in 2010 while deployed to Africa.

The Board has remanded the claims due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disorder is not related to service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and examination to address the issues of service connection, rating for DDD at L3-L4, and TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for traumatic brain injury, left shoulder disability, and left elbow disability were denied. The issues of increased evaluations for PTSD, left knee retropatellar syndrome, and right ankle tendonitis were also addressed.