Shoulder decisions — 2017

The Veteran's left shoulder disability was rated at 20 percent prior to December 4, 2012 and has been rated at 50 percent since February 1, 2014.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability is rated at 20 percent since March 18, 2010. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted for any period on appeal.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and verifying service in the National Guard. The Veteran's right shoulder disorder is being considered based on the merits of his claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right shoulder disability was not incurred in service and is not caused or aggravated by her service-connected right wrist disability.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for recurrent bicep tendinitis, right shoulder is being remanded due to the need for additional development including an examination and obtaining updated treatment records.

The Veteran's Hodgkin's lymphoma is service-connected, and the Board finds that his left shoulder, low back, neck, and sciatica disabilities are secondary to his now service-connected Hodgkin's lymphoma.,However, a new VA examination is needed to determine if any of these additional disabilities were aggravated by his service-connected Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The Veteran's arthritis of the shoulders, back, hands, and knees was not found to be related to his military service or herbicide exposure. The Board denied service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's left shoulder disability, characterized by degenerative cisterns and old surgical changes in the humeral head with a small spur, does not meet the criteria for an increased rating beyond the current 20 percent assigned under DC 5202.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of a nexus between the claimed conditions and active service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the appellant's claims for additional development due to inadequate opinions and missing records. The appellant is not entitled to presumptions of service connection based on ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's nerve pain and further testing is needed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and a new VA examination. The issue of entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for right shoulder strain remains on appeal.

The Veteran's eye disorder, elbow disorder, shoulder disorder, bilateral foot disorder, kidney stones, sleep disorder, and skin disorders are not service-connected. The Veteran's vision problems during service were corrected with glasses/contact lenses.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA records and providing a VA orthopedic examination to address the current severity of any residuals of a left knee injury with degenerative joint disease. The examiner is also requested to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that any right knee, left shoulder, cervical spine, or lumbar spine disorder is aggravated by the service-connected left knee disorder.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability is currently rated at 40 percent, which is the maximum available rating for limitation of motion. The left ankle disability is currently rated at 10 percent due to marked limitation of motion.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his left shoulder condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current right shoulder disability, and his left shoulder and cervical spine disabilities did not have onset during active service or within one year of service discharge. The claims for service connection are therefore denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for clarification on whether his active duty service should affect his compensation, and because the RO has not discontinued his VA compensation benefits during his period of active duty.

The Board finds that there is no evidence to support a service connection claim for the Veteran's bilateral hip condition, as his current disability does not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317 due to undiagnosed illness or qualifying chronic disability associated with his Persian Gulf War service. The Board also finds that there is no evidence of a preexisting degenerative joint disease and herniated lumbar disc shown in 1998, which would be aggravated by active duty service from February 2003 to March 2004.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his left shoulder labrum tear and scars on the left shoulder was denied as there is no evidence of functional impairment or other disabling effects not provided for by the applicable diagnostic codes.