Shoulder decisions — 2016

The Veteran's claims for service connection of a left hip disability, heart disease (coronary artery disease), and right shoulder disability have been denied as the evidence does not establish a direct relationship to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for a VA medical examination to address the issues of service connection for left-sided neuropathy due to chemical exposure and myofascial pain related to the neck.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability has been rated at 20 percent since July 24, 2007. The Board finds that the current evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C, bilateral heel spurs, bilateral knee disability, left foot disability, and bilateral shoulder disability as the evidence did not support a nexus to service.

The Veteran's initial increased rating for left shoulder impingement syndrome is granted at a 20 percent rating effective February 7, 2011. The other service-connected conditions remain rated as they were prior to the grant of this increased rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's right shoulder disability had its onset in service and granted service connection for it.

The Veteran is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities from July 29, 2011 to September 1, 2015. His combined rating of 80% meets the criteria for a TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a).

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain and maintain gainful employment consistent with his education, training, and work experience.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and opinion regarding his right shoulder disorder, as well as an evaluation of whether his cervical spine condition aggravates his right shoulder disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a right shoulder disability, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted to show that his pre-existing condition was aggravated by active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to address her claimed bilateral shoulder disorders and the procurement of additional medical evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of the shoulders, hands, arms, or lower back. The neck and right knee disabilities are denied as not related to service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for an eye condition manifested by loss of vision as secondary to diabetes mellitus and granted a 20% disability rating. The claims for bilateral shoulder pain, right and left knee disabilities, and cervical spondylosis have been denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for left shoulder disability. The Veteran's report of treatment at Fort Jackson, along with the absence of private treatment records from Family Health Center of Adel, Dr. Clements, and Dr. Quattlebaum, necessitates additional development.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, type II diabetes mellitus, a heart disability, visual impairment, left leg tumor, and right shoulder disability. The Veteran's right shoulder disability is found to be related to his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disability. The right shoulder disability claim is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the TDIU was denied as there is no evidence of any earlier unadjudicated formal or informal claim prior to September 18, 2006 and no factually ascertainable evidence demonstrating entitlement to TDIU prior to March 24, 2010.

The VA examiner determined that the Veteran's left shoulder osteoarthritis and glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis are less likely than not caused by or resulting from military service, including his receipt of anthrax vaccination in February and March 2003.,The VA examiner also concluded that there is no link between the Veteran's anxiety disorder and his military activity (including as due to the in-service February and March 2003 anthrax vaccinations), nor can it be made with regard to aggravation of his service-connected gastrointestinal disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to errors in correspondence and scheduling, including a hearing.

The Veteran's hypertension, right shoulder disability, and left shoulder disability have been evaluated based on their current manifestations. The claims for increased ratings are denied as the evidence does not support a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.